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Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-9732

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.1 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
Tungsten Automation Power PDF XPS File Parsing Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Tungsten Automation 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 XPS files. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-24385.

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

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in Tungsten Automation Power PDF's XPS file parser. The flaw stems from the application failing to validate object existence before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory after an object has been freed. Successful exploitation enables remote code execution within the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Tungsten Automation when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted XPS files and restrict the application from processing files from unknown or untrusted 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:< 5.1

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
    Check for Tungsten Automation Power PDF in installed programs (Windows: Add/Remove Programs, Programs and Features) or via command: dir "C:\Program Files\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF" or dir "C:\Program Files (x86)\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF"
    Affected if Tungsten Automation Power PDF is installed on the system
  2. Identify installed version
    Open Power PDF, go to Help > About, or check the executable properties: right-click the Power PDF executable (typically ppdf.exe) > Properties > Details > File Version
    Affected if The displayed version number is less than 5.1 (for example, 5.0.x, 4.x.x, or earlier)
  3. Verify XPS processing capability is present
    Check if XPS filter/plugin/module is loaded: In Power PDF, try to open a .xps file, or check installation directory for XPS-related DLLs (search for *xps* in the Power PDF installation folder)
    Affected if The application can process XPS files and the XPS parser component exists in the installation
  4. Confirm XPS file handling is not blocked
    Check application settings or security options for XPS file association: Look at File > Open dialog file type filters, or check Windows file associations for .xps files pointing to Power PDF
    Affected if XPS files are associated with or can be opened by Power PDF

A user is affected if Power PDF is installed with a version below 5.1 and the application can open or process XPS files.

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 5.1 or later
Fixed in 5.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Tungsten Automation when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted XPS files and restrict the application from processing files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Power PDF 5.1 or later

  1. Identify the current installed version of Power PDF by checking Help > About or the application properties
  2. Navigate to the Tungsten Automation support website or official download portal
  3. Download Power PDF version 5.1 or later (the first version that addresses this vulnerability)
  4. Close all instances of Power PDF and any related applications
  5. Run the installer with administrator 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 5.1 or higher is installed
Caveat Review release notes for version 5.1 to check for any feature changes or migration requirements from previous versions

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

Fix this in Power Pdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2024-9732 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