dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-9737

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 PDF File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write 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 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 object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-24453.

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 · moderate confidence

Tungsten Automation Power PDF contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in its PDF file parser. The flaw results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing, allowing an attacker to write past the end of an allocated memory object. Successful exploitation enables remote code execution within the context of the current process.

MitigationRestrict opening of PDF files from untrusted sources and monitor for vendor patches. Apply security updates promptly once released by Tungsten Automation.

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. Verify Power PDF installation
    Check if Tungsten Automation Power PDF is installed on the system by searching for it in installed programs (Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or via 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for registry key HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*)
    Affected if Tungsten Automation Power PDF appears in the installed programs list
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the version information for Power PDF - typically found in the program's About dialog, or check the executable properties of the main application file (usually named PowerPDF.exe or similar in the installation directory)
    Affected if The reported version number is lower than 5.1 (for example, 5.0, 4.x, or earlier)
  3. Confirm PDF processing capability
    Verify the application is configured to process PDF files - check file associations (.pdf files configured to open with Power PDF) or confirm the PDF parser component is active
    Affected if The PDF file parser feature is enabled and the application can open PDF documents
  4. Identify active PDF parsing
    Review recent user activity or logs for PDF file open operations - check if any PDF files have been opened or processed by the application
    Affected if The application has been used to open PDF files from any source

The environment is affected if Tungsten Automation Power PDF is installed with a version lower than 5.1 and the PDF parsing functionality is available or has been used to open documents.

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

Restrict opening of PDF files from untrusted sources and monitor for vendor patches. Apply security updates promptly once released by Tungsten Automation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Power PDF 5.1 or later

  1. 1. Verify current Power PDF installation by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Power PDF
  2. 2. If the installed version is below 5.1, download Power PDF version 5.1 or later from the official Tungsten Automation website or your organization's software distribution portal
  3. 3. Close all instances of Power PDF and any related applications
  4. 4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About Power PDF confirms version 5.1 or later
Caveat Standard version upgrade; review release notes for any feature changes or migration considerations

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,624.

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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-2024-9737 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