CVE-2023-51563
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 · uneditedKofax Power PDF XPS 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 XPS 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-20573.
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 confidenceA Use-After-Free vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's XPS file parser. The flaw stems from the lack of validation that an object still exists before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process by tricking a user into opening a malicious XPS file.
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< 5.0.0.16CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Power PDF is installedCheck for Power PDF installation in standard locations (C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF or C:\Program Files\Tungsten Power PDF) or use Windows Programs and Features to list installed softwareAffected if Tungstenautomation Power PDF is present on the system
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Determine installed versionRight-click the Power PDF executable in the installation folder, select Properties, then view the Details tab for version information, or use 'wmic product where "name like '%Power PDF%'" get name,version' in command promptAffected if Version information cannot be retrieved or shows a version number
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Compare version to affected rangeIf a version number is obtained, verify it against the affected range: any version below 5.0.0.16 is vulnerableAffected if Installed version is below 5.0.0.16
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Check XPS file handling capabilityOpen Power PDF, go to File > Open and verify that XPS files are listed as supported document types, or check the application's file filter list for XPS extension supportAffected if XPS file format support is present and enabled in the application
The environment is affected if Tungstenautomation Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.16 and the XPS file parsing feature is available.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped5.0.0.16
Apply the vendor patch when released. Until then, avoid opening XPS files from untrusted sources and exercise caution with email attachments or web downloads.
Power PDF 5.0.0.16 or later
- Upgrade Power PDF to version 5.0.0.16 or later
- Verify the installation by checking Help > About Power PDF to confirm the version number
- Exercise caution when opening XPS files from untrusted sources, even after patching
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-51563 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-51563 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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