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Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-27336

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.17 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 PNG 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 PNG 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-22022.

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 read vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's PNG file parsing logic. The software fails to properly validate user-supplied data when processing PNG files, allowing an attacker to read past the end of an allocated buffer and disclose sensitive memory contents. While this vulnerability alone leads to information disclosure, it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted or suspicious PNG-containing 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:< 5.0.0.17

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. Confirm Power PDF is installed
    Check for the presence of Tungstenautomation Power PDF or Kofax Power PDF in the system. Look in Program Files or use Add/Remove Programs to list installed applications.
    Affected if The software is not found on the system, so this CVE does not apply.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Open Power PDF, then go to Help > About, or right-click the executable in Program Files > Properties > Details to find the version number.
    Affected if Version is less than 5.0.0.17 - the vulnerability is present in these versions.
  3. Verify PNG processing capability exists
    Attempt to insert or open a PNG file within Power PDF, or check the supported file formats in the application's options or import settings.
    Affected if PNG files can be processed or imported - the vulnerable parsing code path is accessible.
  4. Check for any disabled image parsers
    Review Power PDF's security or file handling settings for any options that disable or restrict PNG file processing.
    Affected if PNG processing is not explicitly disabled - the vulnerable code can be triggered.

You are affected if Power PDF or Kofax Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.17 and the application can process PNG 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 5.0.0.17 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.17
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted or suspicious PNG-containing PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Kofax Power PDF 5.0.0.17 or later

  1. 1. Check the currently installed version of Kofax Power PDF (Help > About or via the application menu)
  2. 2. Back up any important PDF files and application settings
  3. 3. Download Kofax Power PDF version 5.0.0.17 or later from the official Kofax website or authorized vendor channels
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to upgrade the application
  5. 5. Verify the new version is correctly installed after completion

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2024-27336 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