CVE-2024-8838: PDF-XChange Editor · Out-of-bounds Read
Affects PDF-XChange EditorSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 32% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Nov 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| PDF-XChange PDF-XChange Editor | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement several mitigations: 1) Educate users to avoid opening unsolicited or suspicious XPS files and visiting untrusted websites. 2) Employ endpoint protection solutions with heuristic and behavior-based detection to identify exploitation attempts. 3) Restrict the use of PDF-XChange Editor to trusted users and environments, limiting privileges to the minimum necessary. 4) Use application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to contain potential exploitation. 5) Monitor network and endpoint logs for unusual activity related to PDF-XChange Editor processes. 6) Disable or restrict XPS file handling if feasible, or use alternative PDF viewers with no known vulnerabilities. 7) Prepare to deploy patches promptly once available from the vendor.
Description
PDF-XChange Editor XPS File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read 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 XPS 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 buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-24409.