CVE-2023-38088
HIGHDescription
Kofax Power PDF printf Uninitialized Variable Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. 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 handling of util objects. The issue results from the lack of proper initialization of memory prior to accessing it. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20566.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 35% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-457 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-5777 | High | 7.5 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2009-0901 | High | 8.8 | 37% | - | - |
| CVE-2021-40418 | Critical | 9.8 | 18% | - | - |
| CVE-2019-11038 | Medium | 5.3 | 4.3% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-31435 | High | 7.8 | 2.8% | - | - |
| CVE-2021-46570 | High | 7.8 | 2.1% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-38088?
Upgrade power pdf to 5.0.0.10 or later.
Is CVE-2023-38088 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2023-38088 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.43% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 35% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2023-38088?
CVE-2023-38088 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2023-38088 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for power pdf (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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Markdown
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-08-07.