CVE-2017-10734 in IrfanView
Summary
by MITRE
IrfanView version 4.44 (32bit) might allow attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .rle file, related to an "Invalid Handle starting at wow64!Wow64NotifyDebugger+0x000000000000001d."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10734 affects IrfanView version 4.44 for 32-bit systems and represents a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited through maliciously crafted .rle files. This issue manifests during the processing of RLE (Run Length Encoded) image files, which are commonly used in graphics applications for compressing bitmap images. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at a low level within the Windows operating system, specifically involving the wow64 subsystem that handles 32-bit application execution on 64-bit Windows systems. The error trace indicates that the problem originates from an invalid handle within the wow64!Wow64NotifyDebugger function, suggesting a deep integration issue between the image processing code and the Windows debugging infrastructure.
Technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when IrfanView attempts to parse a specially crafted .rle file that contains malformed data structures or invalid memory references. The flaw manifests as an invalid handle error that propagates through the wow64 subsystem, potentially causing the application to crash or become unresponsive. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the specific manifestation involves handle management rather than direct buffer manipulation. The presence of the wow64!Wow64NotifyDebugger component in the error path indicates that the vulnerability may be triggered during debugging operations or when the application attempts to interact with system-level debugging mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-10734 extends beyond simple denial of service, as it could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks depending on the execution context. When an attacker successfully triggers this vulnerability, they can cause the IrfanView application to terminate unexpectedly, forcing users to restart the application and potentially lose unsaved work. In more severe scenarios, the invalid handle condition could be exploited to gain additional system privileges or to bypass security controls within the application's memory management. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where IrfanView is used for processing untrusted image files, such as in email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms, as it could enable remote code execution or privilege escalation under certain conditions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of IrfanView to version 4.45 or later, which includes proper input validation and error handling for .rle file processing. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies that scan for potentially malicious image files before allowing them to be processed by graphics applications. Network security measures such as email filtering and web content filtering should be enhanced to prevent the delivery of malicious .rle files to end-user systems. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of opening untrusted image files and should be encouraged to keep their software updated regularly. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper error handling in multimedia applications and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves the exploitation of software vulnerabilities to gain system access, highlighting the need for comprehensive application security testing and vulnerability management programs.