CVE-2024-5301
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 PSD File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow 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 PSD files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22917.
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 confidenceKofax Power PDF contains a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in its PSD file parser. The flaw results from improper validation of user-supplied data length before copying to a fixed-size heap buffer, allowing an attacker to overwrite heap memory and execute arbitrary code 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< 5.0.0.18CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Power PDF installationCheck for Power PDF in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or look in Program Files for a Power PDF folderAffected if Power PDF is not found on the system, the CVE does not apply
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Locate the installed executable versionRight-click the Power PDF executable (typically PowerPdf.exe or similar) in Program Files, select Properties, and view the File Version tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic product where "name like '%Power PDF%'" get version' if availableAffected if Unable to locate the Power PDF executable or version information
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Compare installed version to affected rangeCompare the found version number to the affected range: any version below 5.0.0.18 is vulnerable. Versions 5.0.0.18 and above are patchedAffected if The installed version is below 5.0.0.18 (for example, 5.0.0.17, 4.0.x, 3.x, etc.)
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Identify PSD file handling functionalityPower PDF can open PSD files as part of its document import features. Check if the application has ever been used to open .psd files, or review recent file associations in the applicationAffected if The application supports PSD file parsing and has been used to open PSD files, making the vulnerability reachable
If Power PDF is installed and the version is below 5.0.0.18, the system is affected by this CVE when processing PSD 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 · scoped5.0.0.18
Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PSD files from unverified sources. Apply vendor patches when released and maintain up-to-date antivirus protection.
Power PDF 5.0.0.18 or later
- 1. Verify the current version of Power PDF installed by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Power PDF
- 2. Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.18 or later from the official Kofax website or your organization's software distribution center
- 3. Close all instances of Power PDF before proceeding with the upgrade
- 4. Run the installer for the new version and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- 5. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About Power PDF to confirm the version is 5.0.0.18 or higher
- 6. Test that PDF functionality works correctly with the updated version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-5301 — 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-2024-5301 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