SumatraPDF: SyncTeX Argument Injection in Inverse Search Enables Arbitrary Command Execution via External Editors

SumatraPDF is a multi-format reader for Windows. In 3.5.2 and earlier, an attacker-controlled SyncTeX source filename is substituted for the %f placeholder in an external editor command line without safe Windows argument quoting, and the resulting command line is passed to CreateProcessW(). A user with an external editor configured or auto-detected who opens a PDF with a crafted .synctex.gz file and invokes inverse search can inject command-line flags; the resulting impact depends on the target editor interpreting those flags and can include unintended editor actions or code execution through a malicious extension. No broader impact is claimed beyond the advisory-supported conditions. No fixed version is available as of this review.

Source published

8 Oct 2026 22:24:23 UTC

Source modified

9 Oct 2026 15:44:18 UTC

Observed here

23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC

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CVSS 4.0 · 7.1 CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N