dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-37348

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 U3D 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 U3D 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-20445.

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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's U3D file parsing due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows an attacker to write past the end of an allocated buffer by crafting a malicious U3D file, achieving remote code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted U3D files and consider running the application with reduced privileges to limit impact.

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 installation: Look for 'Power PDF' in installed programs (Windows: Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or Programs and Features), or check for executable at common paths like C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF or C:\Program Files\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF
    Affected if Power PDF is installed
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the Power PDF executable (typically PowerPFD.exe or PDF.exe in the installation folder), right-click and select Properties, or run: wmic product where "name like 'Power PDF'" get version
    Affected if Version is present and less than 5.0.0.11
  3. Confirm U3D parsing capability is present
    Verify the Power PDF application includes U3D support by checking the installation folder for U3D-related DLLs (such as u3d.dll, or libraries in a 'plugins' or 'formats' subfolder) or by attempting to insert a U3D object in a PDF through the UI (Insert > 3D)
    Affected if U3D parsing libraries or 3D insertion feature exists in the installation
  4. Check for recent U3D file activity
    Review Power PDF recent documents or audit logs for .pdf files containing U3D content. In Windows, check: %APPDATA%\Kofax\Power PDF\Recent or %APPDATA%\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF\Recent for recently opened files
    Affected if U3D-containing PDFs have been opened recently

The environment is affected if Tungsten Automation Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.11 and the U3D parsing component is present and functional.

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 for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted U3D files and consider running the application with reduced privileges to limit impact.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Power PDF 5.0.0.11 or later

  1. Obtain the latest version of Kofax Power PDF from the official vendor website or through your organization's software distribution channels
  2. Verify your current installation version by opening Power PDF and navigating to Help > About
  3. Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.11 or later
  4. Close any running instances of Power PDF
  5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade the software
  6. After installation, restart the application and confirm the version shows 5.0.0.11 or higher under Help > About
  7. Test that U3D file functionality works correctly in the updated version

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

Fix this in Power Pdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2023-37348 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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