CVE-2023-37335
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 BMP File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow 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 BMP files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20391.
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 confidenceA heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's BMP file parser. The flaw results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying to a fixed-size heap buffer, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via malicious BMP files.
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 Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named containing 'Power PDF' or 'Kofax', or look for the application in Add/Remove Programs.Affected if The software is not present on the system.
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Identify installed versionLocate the main Power PDF executable (typically pdf.exe or similar in the installation folder) and view its file properties to obtain the version number, or query the registry Uninstall key for the displayed version.Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.0.0.11.
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Verify BMP import capabilityAttempt to import or open a BMP file within Power PDF, or check if the application has BMP file association handlers registered in the registry under HKCR\.bmp\OpenWithProgids.Affected if BMP files can be opened or imported into Power PDF.
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Check for recent BMP processing activityReview Power PDF application logs or Windows event logs for recent instances of BMP file processing if logging is enabled.Affected if BMP files have been processed by the application.
The environment is affected if Tungstenautomation Power PDF (formerly Kofax Power PDF) version 5.0.0.0 or lower is installed and BMP file import/open functionality is available.
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
Apply vendor patches when available; avoid opening untrusted BMP files until the vulnerability is remediated.
Power PDF 5.0.0.11 or later
- Verify current Power PDF version by opening the application and checking Help > About
- Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.11 or later from the official Kofax website or your licensed distribution channel
- Close all instances of Power PDF
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade
- Restart the application and confirm the version in Help > About shows 5.0.0.11 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 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-2023-37335 — 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-2023-37335 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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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.
- 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