CVE-2023-51565
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 handling 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-21975.
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 in Kofax Power PDF's XPS file parser allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting the lack of object existence validation before performing operations. The vulnerability requires user interaction (opening a malicious XPS file) and executes in the context of the current process.
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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Confirm Power PDF installationCheck for Power PDF in installed programs via Windows Settings > Apps & Features, or look for 'Power PDF' in the program files directory (typically C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\).Affected if Power PDF is not installed on the system.
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Identify installed versionRight-click the Power PDF executable (usually named PowerPDF.exe or similar in the installation folder), select Properties, and check the 'File version' or 'Product version' field on the Details tab.Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.0.0.16.
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Verify XPS parsing capabilityLaunch Power PDF and attempt to open an XPS file (File > Open, then filter for XPS files), or check if XPS is listed in supported file types in the application's 'About' or 'Options' dialog.Affected if XPS files can be opened or XPS is listed as a supported format, indicating the vulnerable parser is present.
The environment is affected if Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.16 and the application can open or process XPS files.
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
Avoid opening untrusted XPS files from unknown sources and apply vendor patches when available. Consider running the application in a sandboxed environment to limit exploitation impact.
Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.16 or later
- 1. Identify all systems running Kofax Power PDF
- 2. Check the current version of Power PDF installed on each system
- 3. For any system with version less than 5.0.0.16, download the latest version from the vendor's official website or authorized distribution channel
- 4. Verify the downloaded installer matches the official vendor release for version 5.0.0.16 or later
- 5. Close all instances of Power PDF on the target system
- 6. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
- 7. Follow the vendor's installation wizard to complete the update
- 8. After installation, verify the version shows 5.0.0.16 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-51565 — 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-2023-51565 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data