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Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-37359

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.10 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Read Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information 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 read past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20470.

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

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Kofax Power PDF's U3D file parser. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during U3D parsing allows reading past the end of an allocated object, leading to information disclosure. While primarily an information disclosure issue, it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve code execution.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, restrict user ability to open untrusted U3D files and educate users about not opening files from untrusted sources.

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:< 5.0.0.10

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check if Power PDF is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Power PDF*'}
    Affected if Power PDF is not listed in installed programs
  2. Find the installed version
    Right-click the Power PDF application icon, select Properties, then view the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, locate the executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF\bin\) and check file version properties.
    Affected if Version is below 5.0.0.10
  3. Verify the exact build number
    Within Power PDF, go to Help > About Power PDF to see the complete version and build string. Compare this against the affected version range < 5.0.0.10
    Affected if Build number indicates a version lower than 5.0.0.10

If Power PDF is installed and the version is below 5.0.0.10, the environment is affected by this vulnerability when processing U3D files.

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 5.0.0.10 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.10
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, restrict user ability to open untrusted U3D files and educate users about not opening files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Kofax Power PDF 5.0.0.10 or later

  1. 1. Verify the current installed version of Kofax Power PDF by opening the application and navigating to Help > About, or checking Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel
  2. 2. Download the latest version of Kofax Power PDF from the official vendor website (www.kofax.com) or your organization's software distribution center
  3. 3. Ensure all open instances of Power PDF are closed before proceeding with the installation
  4. 4. Run the installer for the updated version (5.0.0.10 or later) with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm version 5.0.0.10 or higher is installed
  7. 7. Test that PDF files with U3D content render 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-2023-37359 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