CVE-2024-27341
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious PDF files in Kofax Power PDF. Attackers can exploit a heap-based buffer overflow during PDF parsing to gain control of the application process. All users of affected Kofax Power PDF versions are at risk.
💻 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 viewer user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or persistence mechanisms being established on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Application crash or denial of service if exploit fails, with potential for limited data exposure depending on exploit payload.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious PDF) but no authentication. Heap-based buffer overflow typically requires some exploit development but PDF exploits are common.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified in provided references; check Kofax security advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.kofax.com/security/advisories
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check Kofax security advisory for specific patched version
2. Download and install latest Power PDF update from official Kofax website
3. Restart system after installation
4. Verify update applied successfully
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable PDF file association
windowsPrevent Power PDF from automatically opening PDF files
Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Associations > Change .pdf association to alternative viewer
Application control policy
windowsBlock Power PDF execution via Group Policy or endpoint protection
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Use alternative PDF viewers that are not vulnerable
- Implement network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement from compromised systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Power PDF version against Kofax security advisory for affected versionsCheck Version:
Open Power PDF > Help > About Power PDFVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Power PDF version matches or exceeds patched version specified in Kofax advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Power PDF crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Power PDF
- Network connections from Power PDF process to suspicious IPs
Network Indicators:
- PDF downloads from untrusted sources followed by Power PDF execution
- Beaconing traffic from systems running Power PDF
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where (Image contains 'PowerPDF' OR ParentImage contains 'PowerPDF') AND CommandLine contains '.pdf'