CVE-2017-10762 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!RtlpAllocateHeap+0x000000000000042f."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10762 affects XnView Classic for Windows version 2.40 and represents a critical security flaw that could enable attackers to execute denial of service attacks or potentially achieve unspecified malicious outcomes through manipulation of specially crafted .rle files. This vulnerability specifically targets the image processing functionality within the software, exploiting a weakness in how the application handles certain file formats that could lead to system instability or compromise.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies within the heap memory allocation process within the ntdll.dll component of the Windows operating system. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to process a malformed .rle file, causing the system to execute code at an address controlled by the attacker's input data. This particular faulting address controls branch selection during heap allocation operations, specifically at the RtlpAllocateHeap function within ntdll_77df0000!RtlpAllocateHeap+0x000000000000042f. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of heap-based buffer overflows and memory corruption issues that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system crashes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as attackers could potentially leverage this flaw to execute malicious code within the context of the affected application. When a user opens a crafted .rle file, the vulnerable XnView Classic application could crash or behave unpredictably, potentially allowing for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's classification as potentially enabling unspecified other impacts suggests that it could serve as a stepping stone for additional exploitation techniques, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter malicious files through email attachments, web downloads, or other common attack vectors.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework, particularly those involving privilege escalation and execution through malicious file formats. The weakness demonstrates how applications that process untrusted input data without proper validation can become entry points for attackers seeking to compromise systems. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflows, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflows, highlighting the fundamental nature of memory management flaws in software security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the affected XnView Classic software to version 2.41 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for heap allocation handling. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies and consider deploying sandboxing solutions for image processing applications to contain potential exploitation attempts. Network-level controls such as email filtering and web proxy configurations can help prevent users from encountering malicious .rle files in the first place. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of opening untrusted image files and the importance of keeping software updated. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of implementing robust input validation mechanisms and memory safety checks in all applications that process external data files, particularly those handling multimedia formats that may contain complex parsing requirements. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their image processing workflows and ensure that all third-party applications undergo thorough security reviews before deployment in production environments.