dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-42036

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.12 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 PDF File Parsing Memory Corruption 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 PDF files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a memory corruption condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-21582.

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 a memory corruption vulnerability in Kofax Power PDF's PDF file parsing engine. The flaw results from inadequate validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing, leading to out-of-bounds memory access. Successful exploitation requires a user to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch from Kofax when available. Until then, enforce strict policies against opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider deploying endpoint detection solutions capable of analyzing PDF attachments.

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:< 5.0.0.12

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. Check if Power PDF is installed
    Open Windows Settings > Apps & Features, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Power PDF*'}
    Affected if Power PDF appears in the installed programs list
  2. Find the installed version number
    In Apps & Features, click on Power PDF and view the Version field, or use PowerShell: (Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Power PDF*'}).DisplayVersion
    Affected if A version number is returned (note the exact version for the next check)
  3. Compare your version to the affected range
    Take the version number found in the previous step and compare it numerically to 5.0.0.12 - check each component (5 vs 5, 0 vs 0, 0 vs 0, 12 vs 12)
    Affected if Any component is lower than the corresponding component in 5.0.0.12 (e.g., 5.0.0.11, 4.9.1.0, or any version starting with 4.x)
  4. Verify PDF processing capability is in use
    Check if users on this system have the ability to open PDF files with Power PDF, or review application logs for PDF parsing activity
    Affected if PDF files can be opened or processed by Power PDF on this system

If Power PDF is installed and its version is below 5.0.0.12, the system is vulnerable when users open PDF files - apply vendor patch immediately.

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 5.0.0.12 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.12
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch from Kofax when available. Until then, enforce strict policies against opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider deploying endpoint detection solutions capable of analyzing PDF attachments.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.12 or later

  1. 1. Verify current Power PDF installation version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About, or checking Add/Remove Programs
  2. 2. If version is below 5.0.0.12, download the latest version of Kofax Power PDF from the official vendor website or your organization's software distribution point
  3. 3. Close all instances of Power PDF and any related processes
  4. 4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version is 5.0.0.12 or later by checking Help > About
  7. 7. Test that PDF files open correctly and basic functionality works as expected

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-42036 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