CVE-2024-12549
Published: 11 February 2025
Summary
CVE-2024-12549 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Tungstenautomation Power Pdf. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 48.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2024-12549 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the JP2 file parsing component of Tungsten Automation Power PDF. The flaw stems from a lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, resulting in a read past the end of an allocated object. This issue affects installations of Tungsten Automation Power PDF and can enable remote code execution.
Remote attackers can exploit the vulnerability by inducing a target user to visit a malicious web page or open a malicious file, as user interaction is required. No privileges are needed (PR:N), and exploitation has low complexity (AC:L) with local attack vector (AV:L). Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process, with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 and is categorized under CWE-125.
The Zero Day Initiative advisory ZDI-24-1679 (ZDI-CAN-25565) details the vulnerability at https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-24-1679/.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-50949
Vulnerability details
Tungsten Automation Power PDF JP2 File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read 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…
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the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of JP2 files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25565.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Out-of-bounds read in PDF/JP2 parser enables client-side RCE via crafted malicious file (T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution + T1204.002 Malicious File).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Flaw remediation directly prevents exploitation by identifying, reporting, and patching the out-of-bounds read in JP2 file parsing within Tungsten Automation Power PDF.
Information input validation enforces proper bounds checking on user-supplied JP2 data to block the read past allocated objects that enables RCE.
Memory protection safeguards such as DEP and ASLR prevent arbitrary code execution in the current process context from the out-of-bounds read vulnerability.