CVE-2017-14307 in STDU Viewer
Summary
by MITRE
STDU Viewer 1.6.375 allows attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .jb2 file, related to "Data from Faulting Address controls Branch Selection starting at ntdll_77400000!TpAllocCleanupGroup+0x0000000000000402."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14307 affects STDU Viewer version 1.6.375, a document viewing application that processes various file formats including the Java Binary format .jb2 files. This issue represents a critical flaw in the application's file parsing mechanism that can be exploited through maliciously crafted .jb2 files to trigger system instability or potentially execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application attempts to process malformed data within these binary files, leading to unpredictable behavior in the underlying system components.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper input validation and memory management within the STDU Viewer application's handling of .jb2 file structures. When processing a crafted .jb2 file, the application fails to properly validate the data integrity and memory boundaries, resulting in a faulting address that influences branch selection within the ntdll component of the Windows operating system. This particular faulting address location ntdll_77400000!TpAllocCleanupGroup+0x0000000000000402 indicates that the vulnerability occurs during thread pool cleanup group allocation operations, suggesting that the flaw impacts the application's concurrency handling mechanisms and memory management subsystems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it can potentially enable attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the description suggest that exploitation could lead to privilege escalation, information disclosure, or complete system compromise depending on the execution context and target environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by preparing a malicious .jb2 file that, when opened by an unsuspecting user, triggers the exploitable code path within the vulnerable application, potentially allowing remote code execution or system compromise.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which addresses out-of-bounds read conditions in software applications, and represents a classic example of how improper input validation can lead to severe security implications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution technique, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through compromised client applications. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation could potentially allow attackers to execute commands through the compromised application. Organizations should treat this vulnerability as a high-priority threat requiring immediate remediation through patch updates or application hardening measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-14307 should include immediate deployment of vendor-provided patches or updates to STDU Viewer to version 1.6.376 or later, which contain the necessary fixes for the file parsing vulnerabilities. Additionally, system administrators should implement application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted .jb2 files and consider deploying sandboxing mechanisms to isolate vulnerable applications. Network-based defenses should include monitoring for suspicious file download activities and implementing content filtering solutions to prevent the delivery of malicious .jb2 files through email attachments or web downloads. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other document processing applications within the organization's environment.