CVE-2017-10772 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!memcmp+0x0000000000000018" (with RPC initialization).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10772 affects XnView Classic for Windows version 2.40 and represents a critical security flaw that can lead to denial of service conditions or potentially more severe impacts through manipulation of specially crafted .rle files. This issue specifically manifests during the processing of raster image files using the RLE (Run-Length Encoding) format, which is commonly employed for image compression in various graphics applications. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of malformed data within the ntdll library components, creating a path where attacker-controlled input can influence program execution flow.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the way XnView Classic processes RLE formatted image files, particularly when these files contain malformed data structures that trigger unexpected behavior in the underlying Windows ntdll library. The faulting address mentioned in the vulnerability description points to a specific memory location within ntdll where the memcmp function is executed, indicating that the issue occurs during memory comparison operations. This particular location at ntdll_77df0000!memcmp+0x0000000000000018 suggests that the vulnerability exploits a branch selection mechanism that is influenced by data from an invalid memory address, creating a potential for arbitrary code execution or system instability. The vulnerability's relationship to RPC initialization further indicates that the flaw may be leveraged through remote procedure call mechanisms that are part of the Windows operating system's networking stack.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it represents a potential pathway for more sophisticated attacks that could compromise system integrity and availability. When an attacker successfully crafts a malicious .rle file, the vulnerability can cause the XnView Classic application to crash or behave unpredictably, potentially leading to complete system instability. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest that this flaw may provide opportunities for privilege escalation or information disclosure, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the application is used to process untrusted image files. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of image processing within Windows systems and can be exploited in various attack scenarios including social engineering campaigns, where users might unknowingly open malicious files that trigger the exploit.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the Common Weakness Enumeration framework where such issues typically map to CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and potentially CWE-248, which covers unspecified other impacts. The ATT&CK framework would classify this vulnerability under T1203, which covers exploitation for privilege escalation, and potentially T1059, which involves command and script injection techniques that could be employed to leverage the vulnerability. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the processing of untrusted image files, updating to patched versions of XnView Classic, and implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in software development, particularly when dealing with file format parsers that must handle potentially malicious input data without compromising system stability.