CVE-2017-10754 in XnView Classic
Summary
by MITRE
XnView Classic for Windows Version 2.40 might allow attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .rle file, related to "Data from Faulting Address controls Branch Selection starting at ntdll_77df0000!RtlpEnterCriticalSectionContended+0x0000000000000031."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10754 affects XnView Classic for Windows version 2.40 and represents a critical denial of service condition that can be triggered through manipulation of specially crafted .rle files. This issue stems from improper handling of malformed data within the image processing pipeline, specifically within the ntdll library functions that manage critical system operations. The vulnerability manifests when the application attempts to process a maliciously constructed RLE (Run-Length Encoded) file, causing the program to crash or become unresponsive during the image decompression process.
The technical flaw resides in how XnView Classic handles memory access patterns and branch prediction mechanisms within the Windows ntdll library. When processing the crafted .rle file, the application triggers a faulting address that directly influences branch selection logic within the RtlpEnterCriticalSectionContended function at offset 0x31 in the ntdll_77df0000 module. This specific location represents a critical section implementation within the Windows kernel that manages concurrent access to shared resources. The vulnerability exploits a condition where data from the faulting memory address directly controls the execution flow of the program, creating a scenario where attacker-controlled data can manipulate the conditional branch decisions that govern program execution paths.
This vulnerability impacts the operational integrity of the affected system by potentially causing complete application failure and system instability. The denial of service condition can be reliably triggered by simply opening a malicious .rle file, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter such files through email attachments, file sharing, or web downloads. The unspecified nature of potential additional impacts suggests that beyond simple denial of service, there may be possibilities for information disclosure or privilege escalation depending on the execution context and system configuration. The vulnerability's exploitation is particularly concerning because it requires no special privileges or complex attack vectors, making it accessible to casual attackers.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the XnView Classic application to version 2.41 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for proper .rle file validation and memory handling. System administrators should implement file type restrictions and content filtering mechanisms to prevent users from opening potentially malicious RLE files, particularly in enterprise environments where automated threat detection is crucial. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of the length of input data, and represents a classic example of how buffer overflows and memory corruption issues can be leveraged to control program execution flow. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving execution flow control and privilege escalation through application-specific exploits, making it particularly relevant for defensive security operations that focus on application hardening and input validation.
The root cause of this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and memory safety practices in image processing applications. The flaw highlights how seemingly benign file format processing can become a vector for system compromise when proper bounds checking and error handling mechanisms are not implemented. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments of their image processing applications and ensure that all third-party libraries and components are kept up to date with the latest security patches. The incident also underscores the necessity of implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include runtime monitoring, application whitelisting, and regular security testing to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other software components.