CVE-2023-38079
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious JP2 image files in Kofax Power PDF. Attackers can exploit improper bounds checking during JP2 file parsing to write beyond allocated memory boundaries and gain code execution. All users of affected Kofax Power PDF versions are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Kofax Power PDF
📦 What is this software?
Power Pdf by Tungstenautomation
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the PDF application user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Attacker executes malicious code in the context of the PDF application, potentially stealing documents, installing malware, or establishing persistence on the system.
If Mitigated
If proper controls like application sandboxing or least privilege are in place, impact is limited to the PDF application's sandbox or user context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to open malicious file but no authentication needed. File format parsing vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Kofax security advisory for specific version
Vendor Advisory: https://docshield.kofax.com/PowerPDF/en_US/5.5.0-d25psa6v75/print/online/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=Security.10.2.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Kofax Power PDF
2. Go to Help > Check for Updates
3. Install available security updates
4. Restart the application
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JP2 file association
windowsRemove JP2 file type association with Kofax Power PDF to prevent automatic opening
Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program > Select .jp2 > Change program > Choose different application
Application sandboxing
windowsRun Power PDF in restricted environment using Windows Sandbox or similar
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized PDF viewers
- Use email/web filtering to block JP2 attachments and downloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Power PDF version against vendor advisory. If using unpatched version, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
In Power PDF: Help > About Power PDFVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Power PDF version is updated to patched version specified in vendor advisory.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Power PDF crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Power PDF
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Power PDF to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains after opening PDFs
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where Parent Process contains 'PowerPDF' AND (Command Line contains '.jp2' OR Image Load contains suspicious DLLs)