CVE-2024-5303
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 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 PSD 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-22919.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Kofax Power PDF's PSD file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows writing past the end of an allocated buffer during PSD file parsing, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious PSD file.
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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Identify installed Power PDF versionOpen Power PDF and navigate to Help > About, or check the program version through Windows Programs and FeaturesAffected if The version number displayed is lower than 5.0.0.18
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Verify PSD file processing capability existsCheck if the application can open or import PSD files by attempting to open a PSD file or checking file association settingsAffected if PSD files can be opened or imported in the application
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Confirm PSD parser is accessible to usersVerify that standard users can access the file open dialog and select PSD files for processingAffected if Users can trigger the PSD parsing functionality without admin privileges
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Review recent file opening activityCheck application logs or recently opened files list for any PSD files opened around the time of potential exploitationAffected if Users have opened PSD files from untrusted sources
You are affected if Power PDF version is below 5.0.0.18 and users can open PSD files within the application, as the vulnerable PSD parser code path would be triggered.
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 PSD files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available. Consider using application isolation or sandboxing for Kofax Power PDF when processing untrusted files.
Kofax Power PDF 5.0.0.18 or later
- Obtain the latest version of Kofax Power PDF (version 5.0.0.18 or later) from the official vendor website or through your organization's software distribution channel
- Close any running instances of Kofax Power PDF
- Install the updated version of Power PDF following the vendor's standard installation procedure
- Verify the installed version by checking About Power PDF to confirm version 5.0.0.18 or later is installed
- Exercise caution when opening PSD files from untrusted sources
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-5303 — 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-2024-5303 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
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