CVE-2023-42084
📋 TL;DR
PDF-XChange Editor contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing EMF files, allowing attackers to disclose sensitive information from memory. Users who open malicious PDF files or visit malicious web pages containing EMF content are affected. This vulnerability requires user interaction to trigger.
💻 Affected Systems
- PDF-XChange Editor
📦 What is this software?
Pdf Tools by Pdf Xchange
Pdf Xchange Editor by Pdf Xchange
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Information disclosure combined with other vulnerabilities could lead to arbitrary code execution in the current process context.
Likely Case
Information disclosure from process memory, potentially exposing sensitive data or system information.
If Mitigated
Limited information disclosure with proper sandboxing and memory protections.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction to open malicious file/visit malicious page. Often used in combination with other vulnerabilities for code execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.1.1.381 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.tracker-software.com/support/security-bulletins.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest version from tracker-software.com 2. Run installer 3. Restart system 4. Verify version is 10.1.1.381 or higher
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable EMF file processing
windowsPrevent PDF-XChange Editor from processing EMF files
Not applicable - configuration change in application settings
Application sandboxing
windowsRun PDF-XChange Editor in restricted environment
Not applicable - use Windows Sandbox or similar
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user permissions to prevent opening untrusted PDF files
- Implement application whitelisting to block PDF-XChange Editor execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About in PDF-XChange Editor for version numberCheck Version:
Not applicable - check via GUI Help > About menuVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 10.1.1.381 or higher in Help > About📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing EMF files
- Unusual memory access patterns
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of EMF files from untrusted sources
- Malicious PDF file transfers
SIEM Query:
EventID=1000 OR EventID=1001 AND ProcessName="PDFXEdit.exe" AND ExceptionCode=0xC0000005