CVE-2025-14421
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 · uneditedpdfforge PDF Architect PDF File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of pdfforge PDF Architect. 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 parsing of PDF files. 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-27915.
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 · moderate confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in pdfforge PDF Architect's PDF file parsing. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing allows an attacker to read past the end of an allocated object, leading to information disclosure. While the primary impact is information disclosure, the advisory notes this can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution in the current process context.
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= 9.1.74.23030CVSS 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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Verify PDF Architect installationCheck if Pdfforge PDF Architect is installed on the system by looking in Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs), or search for the application executable (PDFArchitect.exe) in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\pdfforge\PDF Architect\Affected if PDF Architect is not installed on the system
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Retrieve installed version numberLocate the PDF Architect executable (PDFArchitect.exe) and view its properties to obtain the version number. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version fieldAffected if Unable to locate the application or determine its version
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Compare version to affected releaseCompare the installed version number to the affected version 9.1.74.23030. Ensure an exact match against this specific version numberAffected if The installed version is exactly 9.1.74.23030
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Assess PDF processing exposureDetermine if the system user processes PDF files using PDF Architect. The vulnerability is triggered when PDF Architect parses a maliciously crafted PDF fileAffected if Users process PDF files with PDF Architect version 9.1.74.23030
A user is affected only if PDF Architect version 9.1.74.23030 is installed and that version is used to open PDF files, which could be crafted to trigger the out-of-bounds read.
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 dataUsers should avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or clicking on malicious links that could trigger PDF parsing. The vendor should release a patch addressing the bounds checking issue in the PDF parsing code.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-14421 — 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-2025-14421 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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