EUVD-2025-19142CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3Description
PDF-XChange Editor U3D File Parsing Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. 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 parsing of U3D files. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-26527.
Analysis
CVE-2025-6640 is a use-after-free vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parsing engine that allows remote code execution when a user opens a malicious PDF or visits a compromised webpage containing a specially crafted U3D file. The vulnerability stems from insufficient object validation before operations, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the affected application with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This is a local attack vector requiring user interaction, with a CVSS score of 7.8 indicating high severity.
Technical Context
The vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's handling of U3D (Universal 3D) file formats, which are embedded 3D model formats commonly found in PDF documents. The root cause is classified under CWE-416 (Use-After-Free), a memory safety flaw where the application performs operations on an object reference after that object has been deallocated from memory. The parsing logic fails to validate object existence prior to dereferencing or manipulating the object, allowing an attacker to trigger a use-after-free condition. This is particularly dangerous in PDF processing contexts where embedded U3D models are parsed with elevated privileges. The vulnerability was originally identified as ZDI-CAN-26527, indicating it was reported through Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative.
Affected Products
PDF-XChange Editor (specific versions not enumerated in provided data, but vendor typically releases patch within 30-60 days of ZDI notification). CPE string would follow pattern: cpe:2.3:a:tracker-software:pdf-xchange_editor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* with version constraints to be determined from vendor advisory. The vulnerability affects both the standard and PRO versions of PDF-XChange Editor on Windows systems, as these versions share the common U3D parsing codebase. Related products using the same rendering engine (e.g., PDF-XChange Viewer) may be similarly affected. Specific patch versions and affected version ranges should be verified through Tracker Software's official security advisory.
Remediation
Immediate remediation steps: (1) Update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest patched version released by Tracker Software following ZDI disclosure; (2) Until patching is feasible, disable or restrict opening of U3D-embedded PDF files from untrusted sources; (3) Configure application to run in restricted user context rather than administrative context to limit code execution impact; (4) Implement file type filtering at email gateways to block PDF files from external sources if not business-critical; (5) Use PDF sandboxing or isolated virtual environments when processing documents from untrusted sources. Users should monitor Tracker Software's security advisory page and enable automatic updates if available. For enterprise deployments, implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of injected code even if the use-after-free is triggered.
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