Advisory Details

September 8th, 2023

Kofax Power PDF PDF File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

ZDI-23-1394
ZDI-CAN-21602

CVE ID CVE-2023-42038
CVSS SCORE 7.8, AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
AFFECTED VENDORS Kofax
AFFECTED PRODUCTS Power PDF
VULNERABILITY DETAILS

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 the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Fixed in Kofax PowerPDF Advanced version 5.0.0.12
https://docshield.kofax.com/PowerPDF/en_US/5.0.0-3uoz7ssq2b/print/ReadMe-KofaxPowerPDFAdvanced-5.0.0.12.htm


DISCLOSURE TIMELINE
  • 2023-07-06 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2023-09-08 - Coordinated public release of advisory
CREDIT Mat Powell of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
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