CVE-2023-37332
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 · uneditedKofax Power PDF PNG File Parsing Memory Corruption Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Kofax Power PDF. 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 PNG files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a memory corruption condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20388.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Kofax Power PDF's PNG file parsing due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The lack of proper bounds checking or input validation during PNG parsing allows a specially crafted PNG file to corrupt memory, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.
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< 5.0.0.11CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Power PDF installationCheck if Tungstenautomation Power PDF or Kofax Power PDF is installed on the system. Look for the application in the program files directory or check the installed programs list via the system control panel.Affected if The application is not present on the system, so the vulnerability does not apply.
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Identify installed versionLocate the installed version of Power PDF. This is typically found in the application properties, about dialog, or by checking the executable file version information in the installation directory.Affected if The version cannot be determined, treat as potentially affected.
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Compare against affected rangeCompare the identified version number to the affected range of versions before 5.0.0.11. Check if the installed version is lower than 5.0.0.11.Affected if The installed version is 5.0.0.10 or earlier, meaning the version falls within the affected range.
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Verify PNG processing capabilityDetermine if the Power PDF installation has the capability to open, import, or process PNG image files. This feature is generally available in standard PDF creation and editing workflows.Affected if PNG processing is available and the version is within the affected range, the environment may be exposed to the vulnerability when processing malicious PNG files.
A user is affected if Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.11 and the application can process PNG files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped5.0.0.11
Avoid opening untrusted or malicious PNG files. Apply vendor patches when available. Exercise caution with PNG files from untrusted sources or websites.
Kofax Power PDF 5.0.0.11 or later
- Upgrade Kofax Power PDF to version 5.0.0.11 or later
- Verify the upgrade by checking the application version in the product's About section
- Exercise caution when opening untrusted PNG files or PDF documents containing PNG images from unknown sources
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-37332 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-37332 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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