dbcve.org
Pdf ReaderApplication · Nuance

CVE-2013-0732

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-03-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Heap-based buffer overflow in PDFCore8.dll in Nuance PDF Reader before 8.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted font table directory values in a TTF file, related to naming table entries.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in PDFCore8.dll in Nuance PDF Reader versions before 8.1 allows remote code execution via specially crafted TTF (TrueType Font) files. The vulnerability exists in the font table directory parsing, specifically when handling naming table entries, causing heap memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to Nuance PDF Reader 8.1 or later to obtain the vendor patch. As interim measures, disable automatic font loading, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources, and consider deploying additional endpoint protection capable of detecting malformed font data.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 7.0= 6.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Nuance PDF Reader is installed
    Check for the presence of Nuance PDF Reader in the system. Common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Nuance\PDF Reader\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Nuance\PDF Reader\. Use the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features or run: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Nuance PDF Reader*'}
    Affected if Nuance PDF Reader is found on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the PDF Reader executable (e.g., PDFReader.exe) or the PDFCore8.dll file within the installation directory. Right-click the file, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Version information. Alternatively, use: (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\Nuance\PDF Reader\PDFReader.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersion
    Affected if Version is 7.0 or below, or version cannot be determined (older unpatched install)
  3. Confirm vulnerable DLL exists
    Verify PDFCore8.dll is present in the installation directory, typically at C:\Program Files\Nuance\PDF Reader\PDFCore8.dll. This is the specific DLL containing the vulnerability in font table parsing.
    Affected if PDFCore8.dll exists in the Nuance PDF Reader installation folder (indicates the vulnerable component is present)
  4. Check automatic font loading setting
    Open Nuance PDF Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > Security (or equivalent settings area). Look for font-related options such as 'Enable automatic font loading' or 'Load embedded fonts automatically'. This setting controls whether the application automatically processes fonts in PDF files.
    Affected if Automatic font loading is enabled (this increases the attack surface for this vulnerability)

User is affected if Nuance PDF Reader version 7.0 or below is installed with PDFCore8.dll present, especially with automatic font loading enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Nuance PDF Reader 8.1 or later to obtain the vendor patch. As interim measures, disable automatic font loading, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources, and consider deploying additional endpoint protection capable of detecting malformed font data.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Nuance PDF Reader 8.1 or later

  1. Verify the currently installed Nuance PDF Reader version by opening the application and checking 'About' or using Windows Programs and Features
  2. Navigate to the official Nuance website or trusted software distribution channel to obtain Nuance PDF Reader version 8.1 or later
  3. Download the installer for the updated version
  4. Close all instances of the PDF Reader application
  5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Restart the system if prompted and verify the new version is installed correctly

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Reader Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0732 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-0732 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data