dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-5302

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0.18 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-22918.

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 stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing, allowing a write operation to extend beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution within the context of the current user process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update to the latest version of Kofax Power PDF. Until patched, exercise caution with PDF files from untrusted sources as user interaction (opening a malicious file) is required for exploitation.

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:< 5.0.0.18

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. Confirm Power PDF installation
    Locate the Kofax Power PDF application on the system through the Windows Start menu, installed programs list, or typical installation directories (such as C:\Program Files\Kofax or C:\Program Files (x86)\Kofax).
    Affected if The application is present on the system.
  2. Retrieve installed version number
    Right-click the Power PDF executable or shortcut, select Properties, and navigate to the Details tab to view the Product Version. Alternatively, open Power PDF and check Help > About or the application's log files for version information.
    Affected if A version number is displayed.
  3. Compare version against vulnerability threshold
    Compare the installed version to the affected range: any version lower than 5.0.0.18 is vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 5.0.0.18 (for example, 5.0.0.17, 4.0.x, 3.x, etc.).

The system is affected if Kofax Power PDF is installed and the version number is below 5.0.0.18.

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 5.0.0.18 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0.18
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update to the latest version of Kofax Power PDF. Until patched, exercise caution with PDF files from untrusted sources as user interaction (opening a malicious file) is required for exploitation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Power PDF 5.0.0.18 or later stable release

  1. Obtain the latest version of Kofax Power PDF from the official vendor website or through your organization's software distribution channel
  2. Verify the current installed version of Power PDF by opening the application and navigating to Help > About or checking Add/Remove Programs
  3. Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.18 or later (confirm the latest stable release from vendor channels)
  4. Close all instances of Power PDF and any related applications
  5. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  6. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  7. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm version 5.0.0.18 or later is installed
  8. Exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources, as user interaction is required for exploitation
Caveat Standard upgrade - review vendor release notes for any feature changes or migration considerations before deploying in production environments

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
Get the upgrade done

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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-2024-5302 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