CVE-2017-10925 in IrfanView
Summary
by MITRE
IrfanView 4.44 (32bit) with FPX Plugin 4.47 might allow attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .fpx file, related to "Data from Faulting Address is used as one or more arguments in a subsequent Function Call starting at FPX!FPX_GetScanDevicePropertyGroup+0x000000000000b3ae."
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2019
CVE-2017-10925 represents a critical vulnerability in IrfanView version 4.44 when utilizing the FPX Plugin version 4.47, demonstrating a classic buffer overflow condition that can lead to remote code execution or denial of service. This vulnerability manifests through improper input validation when processing maliciously crafted .fpx files, which are part of the FlashPix image format specification. The flaw occurs at the FPX_GetScanDevicePropertyGroup function where data retrieved from a faulting memory address is subsequently used as arguments in function calls without adequate bounds checking, creating an exploitable condition that aligns with CWE-125 Uncontrolled Buffer Access and CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write. The vulnerability operates through a memory corruption scenario where attackers can manipulate the FPX plugin's parsing logic to overwrite critical memory locations, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution within the context of the IrfanView application process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to encompass potential complete system compromise, particularly when IrfanView is executed with elevated privileges or when users open malicious files automatically. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can leverage the faulting address data to manipulate function call arguments, potentially redirecting execution flow through return-oriented programming techniques or directly overwriting function pointers within the application's memory space. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway follows ATT&CK technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries use application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems. When users open the crafted .fpx file, the FPX plugin processes the malformed data structure, causing a memory access violation that results in unpredictable behavior, application crash, or potentially code execution depending on memory layout and exploitation sophistication.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-10925 require immediate patching of IrfanView to version 4.45 or later, which includes fixed FPX plugin handling that implements proper bounds checking and input validation. System administrators should disable the FPX plugin entirely if the functionality is not required, as this eliminates the attack surface entirely while maintaining core image viewing capabilities. Network security controls should include file type filtering at perimeter defenses, specifically blocking .fpx file extensions from entering the network unless from trusted sources. Endpoint protection measures should monitor for suspicious file processing activities and implement application whitelisting policies that restrict IrfanView execution to known good configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices and input validation, particularly in image processing libraries where malformed file structures can trigger exploitable conditions. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments of image processing applications and maintain updated threat intelligence feeds to identify similar vulnerabilities in other multimedia libraries that may be susceptible to similar buffer overflow conditions.