dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-42100

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.12 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 PDF 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 PDF 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-21604.

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

CVE-2023-42100 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Kofax Power PDF's PDF file parsing functionality. The flaw exists due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing, allowing an attacker to read past the end of an allocated memory object. While primarily an information disclosure vulnerability, it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution in the current process context.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches for Kofax Power PDF when available, and educate users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown 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:< 5.0.0.12

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
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. Identify Power PDF installation
    Locate the Power PDF application on the system. Check the installed version through the application's About dialog, or check the program version in Windows Add/Remove Programs, or look for version information in the executable properties of the Power PDF installation directory.
    Affected if Power PDF is installed and the version is below 5.0.0.12
  2. Confirm PDF parsing is in use
    This vulnerability affects the PDF file parsing functionality within Power PDF. Any use of Power PDF to open, view, or process PDF files triggers the affected parsing code path.
    Affected if Power PDF is used to open or process any PDF file, including files from untrusted sources
  3. Compare version against vulnerable range
    The affected version range is any installation of Tungstenautomation Power PDF with version number less than 5.0.0.12. Compare your installed version to this threshold.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.0.0.12

You are affected if Power PDF is installed with a version below 5.0.0.12 and you use it to open or process PDF files, particularly from untrusted sources.

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 vendor-provided patches for Kofax Power PDF when available, and educate users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Power PDF 5.0.0.12

  1. 1. Verify the currently installed version of Power PDF by opening the application and checking About or Help menu
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Kofax support website or trusted software distribution channel
  3. 3. Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.12 or later
  4. 4. Close all instances of Power PDF and any related processes
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About Power PDF
  7. 7. Test that PDF files open and function correctly after the upgrade

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,872.

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-2023-42100 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