CVE-2023-39484
Pdf-Xchange Pdf-Tools 10.0.1.371
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2023-39484 is a medium-severity Use of Uninitialized Variable (CWE-457) vulnerability in Pdf-Xchange Pdf-Tools. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique OS Credential Dumping (T1003); ranked at the 28th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-43207
Vulnerability Data
PDF-XChange Editor PDF File Parsing Uninitialized Variable Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of PDF-XChange Editor. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a…
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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 initialization of memory prior to accessing it. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18493.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and static analysis directly find uses of uninitialized variables before deployment.
Documented development standards and tools can enforce initialization requirements in code.
Engineering principles can mandate explicit variable initialization to avoid uninitialized use.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly catch uninitialized-variable defects via static analysis and code review while the control encompasses many additional development controls.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect uninitialized-variable bugs, but the control is broader.
Secure development life cycle mandates practices that reduce uninitialized-variable defects.
Application security requirements can specify initialization rules, but the control itself does not directly address the weakness.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles include defensive coding practices that prevent use of uninitialized memory or objects.
Secure coding explicitly requires variable initialization and static-analysis checks.