dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2023-51569

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.16 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 BMP File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write 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 BMP files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22016.

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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's BMP file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. When parsing specially crafted BMP files, the parser writes data past the end of an allocated buffer, allowing attackers to corrupt memory and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when released. Until then, avoid opening BMP files from untrusted sources and consider disabling file preview features in the application.

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:< 5.0.0.16

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. Find installed Power PDF version
    Open Power PDF, click Help > About, or check Programs and Features in Control Panel, or check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall in Windows Registry for the Power PDF entry
    Affected if The version displayed is lower than 5.0.0.16 (for example 5.0.0.15, 4.x, or earlier)
  2. Confirm BMP file handling is possible
    Verify that the Power PDF application can open or preview image files - this is enabled by default in the standard installation
    Affected if The application can process BMP files (default behavior)
  3. Check if file preview handler is registered
    In Windows, check if the Power PDF preview handler is registered for BMP file types in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.bmp or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.bmp
    Affected if BMP file association or preview handler exists for Power PDF

You are affected if Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.16 and the application can process BMP files, which is the default state.

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 5.0.0.16 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.16
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when released. Until then, avoid opening BMP files from untrusted sources and consider disabling file preview features in the application.

Recommended fix High confidence

Kofax Power PDF 5.0.0.16 or later

  1. 1. Verify the current installed version of Kofax Power PDF by opening the application and navigating to Help > About or checking in the system control panel
  2. 2. Download Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.16 or later from the official Kofax website or your organization's software distribution center
  3. 3. Close any running instances of Power PDF before proceeding with the upgrade
  4. 4. Run the installer for the new version and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  5. 5. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm version 5.0.0.16 or higher is installed
  6. 6. Ensure users are instructed not to open untrusted BMP files or visit untrusted websites until the patch is applied
Caveat Review release notes for version 5.0.0.16 for any functional changes or migration considerations from previous versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Power Pdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2023-51569 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