dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-27342

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.17 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 PDF 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 PDF 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 buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22928.

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

This is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Kofax Power PDF's PDF file parsing functionality. The flaw results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing, allowing writes beyond allocated buffer boundaries. An attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted malicious PDF file, achieving code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply vendor patches for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider using endpoint protection with behavior monitoring for PDF handling processes.

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/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. Locate Power PDF installation directory
    Check common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF\ or C:\Program Files\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF\ for the Power PDF executable file (PowerPDF.exe)
    Affected if Power PDF software is present on the system
  2. Identify installed Power PDF version
    Right-click on PowerPDF.exe, select Properties, and view the Details tab to see the File Version or Product Version
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 5.0.0.17 (or version cannot be determined but software is installed)
  3. Check Windows registry for version
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Kofax\Power PDF or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF, look for a Version or DisplayVersion value
    Affected if Registry shows a version number less than 5.0.0.17
  4. Verify PDF parsing is accessible
    Confirm the Power PDF application can be launched and can open PDF files (the vulnerability triggers when parsing a malicious PDF)
    Affected if Power PDF is installed and can be used to open PDF documents, combined with version < 5.0.0.17

A user is affected if Power PDF (formerly Kofax Power PDF) is installed with a version lower than 5.0.0.17 and the application can be 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 5.0.0.17 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.17
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches for Kofax Power PDF when available. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider using endpoint protection with behavior monitoring for PDF handling processes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Power PDF 5.0.0.17 or later

  1. 1. Verify current Power PDF version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About or checking the version in the software itself
  2. 2. Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.17 or later from the official Kofax website or your organization's software distribution center
  3. 3. Ensure all work is saved and close the Power PDF application before upgrading
  4. 4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm version 5.0.0.17 or higher is installed
  7. 7. Test that PDF files open and function correctly in the updated version
Caveat Standard upgrade; ensure compatibility with existing PDF workflows and any integrated systems

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
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,680
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,488.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-27342 — 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-2024-27342 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