dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-37344

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.11 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
Kofax 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-20441.

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 confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's BMP file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying into a fixed-size heap buffer. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious BMP file that triggers the overflow when opened, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or suspicious BMP files, and disable automatic file preview features in the application.

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
Power PdfApplication
Affected:< 5.0.0.11

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Power PDF installation
    Check for Power PDF in installed programs (Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell)
    Affected if Power PDF is listed with a version below 5.0.0.11
  2. Confirm exact version number
    Locate the Power PDF executable in the installation folder and view its properties, or run 'Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Program Files" -Recurse -Filter "*Power*PDF*.exe" | Select-Object FullName, VersionInfo'
    Affected if The displayed FileVersion is lower than 5.0.0.11
  3. Verify BMP parsing capability is present
    Launch Power PDF and attempt to insert a BMP image via Insert > Picture > From File, or check if BMP files open when dragged into the application
    Affected if BMP files can be opened or imported within the application (indicates the vulnerable parser is active)

You are affected if Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.11 and the application can process BMP files, as the heap overflow vulnerability exists in the BMP parser component of these versions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.0.0.11 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.11
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or suspicious BMP files, and disable automatic file preview features in the application.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.11 or later

  1. Obtain the latest version of Kofax Power PDF (version 5.0.0.11 or later) from the official vendor website or your organization's software distribution center
  2. Ensure all users close any running instances of Power PDF before proceeding
  3. Back up any critical PDF documents and custom configurations
  4. Install the updated Power PDF version 5.0.0.11 or newer
  5. Verify the installation completed successfully by checking the application version under Help > About
  6. Restart the application and confirm normal functionality
Caveat Review release notes for version 5.0.0.11 to check for any feature changes or configuration adjustments that may affect workflow

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Power Pdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-37344 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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