CVE-2024-8849
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedPDF-XChange Editor AcroForm Out-Of-Bounds Read Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of PDF-XChange Editor. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of AcroForms. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25269.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencePDF-XChange Editor contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in AcroForm handling due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows reading past the end of an allocated buffer, enabling information disclosure. While the vulnerability requires user interaction (opening a malicious PDF), it can be chained with other flaws for code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 10.3.1.387= 10.3.1.387CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed PDF-XChange Editor versionCheck the executable version of pdfxcview.exe (PDF-XChange Editor) in the installation directory, typically found in C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor or via right-click Properties > Details in Windows ExplorerAffected if The file version shown is exactly 10.3.1.387
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Identify installed PDF-XChange Pdf Tools versionCheck the executable version of PDFXTools.exe or related binaries in the installation directory, typically in C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Pdf ToolsAffected if The file version shown is exactly 10.3.1.387
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Verify AcroForm handling is exercisedSince this vulnerability triggers when processing AcroForm fields within a PDF document, the affected condition requires opening a specially crafted PDF file containing AcroForm contentAffected if A malicious PDF with AcroForm data is opened in the vulnerable software version 10.3.1.387
The environment is affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools version 10.3.1.387 is installed AND a user opens a specially crafted PDF file containing malicious AcroForm data.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataRestrict opening of untrusted PDF files and await the vendor patch from PDF-XChange. Until an update is available, use additional file screening at email gateways and train users to avoid opening unexpected PDF attachments.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-8849 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-8849 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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