dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-44436

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.15 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 File Parsing Use-After-Free 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 validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22045.

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 use-after-free vulnerability in Kofax Power PDF's PDF file parsing. The software fails to validate object existence before performing operations, leading to a UAF condition that can be exploited for remote code execution via malicious PDF files.

MitigationApply vendor-provided security patches for Kofax Power PDF when available; avoid opening untrusted PDF files and disable PDF preview features in email clients to reduce attack surface.

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:< 5.0.0.15

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. Confirm Power PDF installation
    Check if Tungstenautomation Power PDF is installed on the system. On Windows, look in Program Files for 'Power PDF' folder or check Programs and Features for 'Power PDF' entry.
    Affected if The product is not installed or only unrelated PDF software is present.
  2. Locate the executable version
    Find the Power PDF executable (typically named 'Power PDF.exe' or similar in the installation directory) and access its properties to view version information. Alternatively, run 'wmic product get name,version' or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Power PDF entries.
    Affected if Cannot locate the Power PDF executable or version information.
  3. Extract the installed version number
    Read the 'File Version' or 'Product Version' from the executable properties or from the installer registry entry. Note the full version string including all four number groups (e.g., x.x.x.x).
    Affected if Version number cannot be determined from the executable or registry.
  4. Compare against affected range
    Compare your extracted version to the affected range: any version below 5.0.0.15 is vulnerable. Versions 5.0.0.15 and later are patched. Ensure you compare all four version segments numerically.
    Affected if The installed version is below 5.0.0.15 (for example, 4.0.0.8, 5.0.0.10, or any version starting with 4.x).
  5. Assess PDF processing exposure
    Determine if Power PDF is configured as the default PDF handler or if users routinely open PDF files with Power PDF. Check default application associations in Windows Settings > Apps > Default apps.
    Affected if Power PDF is the default PDF viewer or commonly used to open PDF files from untrusted sources.

The environment is affected if Tungstenautomation Power PDF is installed with any version lower than 5.0.0.15 and the software is used to open PDF 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 5.0.0.15 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.15
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided security patches for Kofax Power PDF when available; avoid opening untrusted PDF files and disable PDF preview features in email clients to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Kofax Power PDF 5.0.0.15 or later

  1. Obtain the latest version of Kofax Power PDF from the official vendor (Kofax) website or through your existing license/contract channel
  2. Verify that version 5.0.0.15 or later is available and includes the security fix for CVE-2023-44436
  3. Download the installer for the fixed version
  4. Close all instances of Power PDF before running the installer
  5. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  6. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the update
  7. Restart the application and verify it launches without errors
  8. Test with a sample PDF to confirm normal functionality
Caveat Standard upgrade - review release notes for any feature changes between your current version and 5.0.0.15

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44436 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-44436 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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