dbcve.org
Power PdfApplication · Tungstenautomation

CVE-2024-9738

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 Memory Corruption 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 memory corruption condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-24454.

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 a memory corruption vulnerability in its PDF file parsing logic. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data when processing PDF files, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for remote code execution. An attacker can exploit this by enticing a user to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file.

MitigationAvoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available. Consider using endpoint protection or sandboxing for PDF handling as a compensating control.

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 Tungsten Automation Power PDF is installed
    Check for the application in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\Tungsten Automation\Power PDF\) or via Windows Add/Remove Programs. Look for 'Power PDF' or 'Tungsten Power PDF' entry in installed applications.
    Affected if Application is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    Right-click the Power PDF executable (typically PowerPDF.exe or similar) in the installation directory, select Properties, then view the Details tab for the Version field. Alternatively, open Power PDF, go to Help > About to view version information.
    Affected if Version is below 5.1 (e.g., 5.0.x, 4.x, etc.)
  3. Confirm PDF parsing functionality is active
    PDF parsing is the core function of Power PDF - verify the application has the capability to open and process PDF files. This is enabled by default when the application is installed. Check if the application can open PDF documents.
    Affected if PDF file handling is enabled (default state)
  4. Check for recent PDF processing activity
    Review Windows Event Logs (Application and System logs) or the application's own log files for evidence of recent PDF file processing. Look for events around PowerPDF.exe activity.
    Affected if PDF files have been opened recently in the application

User is affected if Tungsten Automation Power PDF is installed with a version number less than 5.1 and the PDF parsing feature (which is enabled by default) can process malicious 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

Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources. Apply vendor patches when available. Consider using endpoint protection or sandboxing for PDF handling as a compensating control.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Power PDF 5.1

  1. 1. Obtain Power PDF version 5.1 from the official Tungsten Automation vendor or authorized distribution channels
  2. 2. Ensure all users close any running instances of Power PDF before upgrading
  3. 3. Install Power PDF version 5.1 on affected systems
  4. 4. Verify the installation by checking the application's About section to confirm version 5.1 is installed
  5. 5. Exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources to reduce risk exposure
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - backup important documents and configurations before upgrading

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,810
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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-2024-9738 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