CVE-2023-37341
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 Out-Of-Bounds Write 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 write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20397.
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 an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in its PNG file parsing logic. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data during PNG parsing, allowing an attacker to write beyond the boundaries of an allocated memory buffer. This can be triggered by convincing a user to open a malicious PNG file, potentially 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:3.0/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 Power PDF in installed programs via Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or look for Power PDF executable in common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF or C:\Program Files (x86)\Kofax\Power PDFAffected if Power PDF is installed on the system
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Retrieve installed version numberRight-click the Power PDF executable (typically named Power PDF.exe), select Properties, then navigate to the Details tab to view the Product Version fieldAffected if Product version is missing or cannot be determined
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Compare version against affected rangeCompare the installed Product Version to the affected range: any version below 5.0.0.11 is vulnerableAffected if Installed version is less than 5.0.0.11 (for example, 5.0.0.10, 4.0.x, 3.x, etc.)
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Verify PNG parsing is accessibleConfirm the application can open image files - the vulnerability is triggered when parsing malicious PNG files, so any user who can open files in Power PDF could be targetedAffected if Users have the ability to open PNG files within Power PDF
The user is affected if Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.11 and users can open PNG files in the application.
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 the vendor-supplied patch for CVE-2023-37341 when available. Until then, advise users to avoid opening PNG files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file).
Power PDF 5.0.0.11 or later
- 1. Close any running instances of Kofax Power PDF
- 2. Back up any important PDF files and user settings
- 3. Download the latest version of Kofax Power PDF from the official vendor website (www.kofax.com) or your organization's software distribution channel
- 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to upgrade
- 5. Verify the installed version is 5.0.0.11 or later by checking Help > About Power PDF
- 6. Re-test any automated workflows or integrations that use Power PDF
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-37341 — 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-2023-37341 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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