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Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-5306

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-06
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 Memory Corruption 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 memory corruption condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22930.

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

Kofax Power PDF contains a memory corruption vulnerability in its PDF file parsing component. The flaw results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during PDF processing, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process.

MitigationApply the vendor security update/patch for Kofax Power PDF when available; avoid opening PDF files from untrusted or 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
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. Verify Power PDF installation
    Check for Power PDF in the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths or look in Program Files for folders named 'Power PDF' or 'Kofax Power PDF'. Alternatively, search for 'Power PDF' in the list of installed programs via Control Panel > Programs and Features.
    Affected if Power PDF is not found on the system, the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Locate the Power PDF executable
    Find the main executable, typically named 'Power PDF.exe' or 'Kofax Power PDF.exe', commonly located in C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Kofax\Power PDF\.
    Affected if If the executable does not exist, the vulnerability does not apply.
  3. Determine installed version
    Right-click the Power PDF executable, select Properties, then go to the Details tab to view the 'File version' or 'Product version' entry. Alternatively, query the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Kofax\Power PDF\ for a Version value.
    Affected if The version displayed is the version you must compare against the affected range.
  4. Compare version against affected range
    Compare the installed version number to 5.0.0.17. Versions are typically formatted as major.minor.build.revision (for example, 5.0.0.16 or 4.0.0.100). Check if the installed version is less than 5.0.0.17.
    Affected if If the installed version is less than 5.0.0.17, the system is within the affected version range.
  5. Confirm vulnerability trigger condition
    The vulnerability resides in the PDF file parsing component. It is triggered when Power PDF processes a maliciously crafted PDF file. There are no specific features or settings to enable; the vulnerability exists in the parsing logic itself for any version below 5.0.0.17.
    Affected if The environment is affected if Power PDF version is below 5.0.0.17 and the application is used to open PDF files.

The environment is affected if Tungstenautomation Power PDF is installed with a version number lower than 5.0.0.17.

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 the vendor security update/patch for Kofax Power PDF when available; avoid opening PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Power PDF version 5.0.0.17 or later

  1. Upgrade Power PDF to version 5.0.0.17 or later
  2. Verify the upgrade by checking Help > About Power PDF to confirm the installed version
  3. Ensure antivirus definitions are current before opening any PDF files
  4. Exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Power Pdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
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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-2024-5306 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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