CVE-2024-5513
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 JP2 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 JP2 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-22044.
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 JP2 file parsing functionality due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows an attacker to write past the end of an allocated buffer during JP2 parsing, leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction via a malicious file or page.
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< 5.0.0.21CVSS 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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Verify Power PDF installation existsCheck for Power PDF installation directory under Program Files (e.g., C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF or C:\Program Files\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF). Look for executables named Power PDF.exe or similar.Affected if The software is not found, the vulnerability does not apply.
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Identify installed Power PDF versionRight-click the Power PDF executable, select Properties, and check the File Version field under the Details tab. Alternatively, run: powershell (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\Kofax\Power PDF\bin\Power PDF.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersionAffected if The version is lower than 5.0.0.21 (e.g., 5.0.0.20, 4.x.x.x, etc.), the environment is potentially affected.
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Confirm JP2 file handling capability is presentAttempt to open or preview a JP2 (JPEG 2000) file using the installed Power PDF application, or check file association settings for .jp2 files registered to Power PDF.Affected if JP2 files are associated with or can be opened by Power PDF, the vulnerable parsing code path could be triggered.
If Power PDF is installed with a version below 5.0.0.21 and can process JP2 files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 · scoped5.0.0.21
Avoid opening untrusted JP2 files and apply vendor-supplied patches or updates for Kofax Power PDF when available. Restrict file handling capabilities for untrusted documents where possible.
Power PDF 5.0.0.21 or later
- Verify the current version of Kofax Power PDF installed on the system
- Download Power PDF version 5.0.0.21 or later from the official Kofax website
- Ensure all user data and documents are backed up before upgrading
- Close any running instances of Power PDF
- Install the updated version of Power PDF (5.0.0.21 or later)
- Verify the installation was successful by checking the version number in the application
- Remind users to avoid opening untrusted JP2 files from unknown sources as a defense-in-depth measure
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-5513 — 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-2024-5513 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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