PDF-XChange Editor exportAsText Exposed Dangerous Method Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

August 17th, 2023
ZDI-23-1130 ZDI-CAN-19649

CVE ID

CVE-2023-39493

CVSS Score

7.8 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors

PDF-XChange

Affected Products

PDF-XChange Editor

Vulnerability Details

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code 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 exportAsText method. The application exposes a JavaScript interface that allows writing arbitrary files. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user.

Additional Details

Fixed in PDF-XChange Editor V9 (9.5.368) and V10 (10.0.1)
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor/history


Disclosure Timeline

  • 2022-12-22 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2023-08-17 - Coordinated public release of advisory

Credit

Andrea Micalizzi aka rgod

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