CVE-2023-37343
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 JP2 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 JP2 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 object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20440.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's JP2 file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows writing past the end of an allocated memory object, which can be leveraged to achieve 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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Locate installed Power PDF versionOpen Power PDF and navigate to Help > About, or check the application version in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or the Applications folder (Mac). The version number is typically displayed in the format x.x.x.xAffected if The version shown is earlier than 5.0.0.11
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Confirm JP2 file support is presentCheck if the application can open or process JP2 (JPEG 2000) image files. Attempt to open a JP2 file or verify JP2 is listed in supported file formats in the application's help or file open dialogAffected if JP2 file support is available and the version is below 5.0.0.11
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Identify user privilege contextNote the user account running the Power PDF application. Check whether it runs with standard user rights or elevated/administrator privilegesAffected if The application runs with elevated privileges and the version is vulnerable, increasing potential exploitation impact
You are affected if Power PDF version is below 5.0.0.11 and the application includes JP2 file processing capability, with higher risk if running with elevated privileges.
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 unsolicited JP2 files. Apply vendor patches when available and run the application with least privilege to limit impact of potential exploitation.
Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.11 or later
- Obtain Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.11 or later from the official vendor (Kofax)
- Backup important documents and PDF files stored in the application
- Uninstall the current vulnerable version of Power PDF
- Install the updated version 5.0.0.11 or later
- Verify the installation completed successfully and the application launches without errors
- Exercise caution when opening JP2 (JPEG 2000) files from untrusted sources, even after patching
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-37343 — 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-2023-37343 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data