CVE-2023-37333
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 PCX 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 PCX 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-20389.
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 confidenceKofax Power PDF contains a memory corruption vulnerability in its PCX file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. An attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted malicious PCX file, potentially allowing 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 for the presence of Power PDF executable (PowerPDF.exe) in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF or C:\Program Files\Tungsten Software\Power PDF. Also verify via Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'Power PDF'.Affected if Power PDF is not installed or no registry entry is found.
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Identify installed Power PDF versionLocate PowerPDF.exe, right-click and select Properties, then check the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, query the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Kofax\Power PDF\Version or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Tungsten Software\Power PDF\Version if available.Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.0.0.11 (e.g., 5.0.0.10, 4.x, 3.x).
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Verify PCX file handling capabilityPower PDF uses its document processing components to handle various image formats including PCX. Open Power PDF and attempt to confirm PCX support through File > Open - verify if .pcx appears in the supported file types dropdown, or check Help > About for installed image converters.Affected if PCX appears as a supported import format and the version is below 5.0.0.11.
You are affected if Tungstenautomation Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.11 and the application supports PCX file parsing, which is the default behavior.
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
Users should avoid opening untrusted PCX files from unverified sources. Apply vendor patches when available.
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 Help > About in the application
- Avoid opening untrusted PCX files from unknown sources as a defense-in-depth measure
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-37333 — 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-2023-37333 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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