CVE-2017-14555 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 .djvu file, related to "Data from Faulting Address is used as one or more arguments in a subsequent Function Call starting at STDUDjVuFile!DllUnregisterServer+0x000000000000ec6e."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14555 affects STDU Viewer version 1.6.375, a document viewing application that handles various file formats including the DjVu format. This weakness represents a critical security flaw that could enable attackers to disrupt system operations or potentially execute arbitrary code through maliciously crafted DjVu files. The vulnerability manifests during the processing of malformed DjVu files, specifically when the application attempts to unregister a DLL component, indicating a serious memory corruption issue within the file parsing mechanism. The flaw occurs at the address STDUDjVuFile!DllUnregisterServer+0x000000000000ec6e, suggesting that the application's handling of faulting memory addresses during DLL unregistration creates exploitable conditions.
This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption issues and aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where an application attempts to read memory beyond its allocated boundaries. The flaw represents a classic case of improper input validation where the application fails to properly sanitize DjVu file structures before processing them. The attack vector involves crafting a malicious DjVu file that triggers an exception or fault during the parsing process, causing the application to use invalid memory addresses as function arguments. This type of vulnerability can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter untrusted documents. The vulnerability demonstrates poor error handling and memory management practices within the application's file processing pipeline.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it could potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. When an attacker successfully exploits this weakness, they could gain control over the affected system, leading to complete compromise of the machine. The vulnerability affects any system running STDU Viewer 1.6.375 and any user who might open a maliciously crafted DjVu file. The attack surface is broad since DjVu files are commonly used for document sharing, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that handle sensitive information. From an attack perspective, this flaw maps to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059 category of Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute commands on the compromised system. The vulnerability also relates to T1498 which covers network denial of service attacks, as the flaw can be leveraged to disrupt system availability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-14555 should begin with immediate patching of the affected application to the latest available version that contains fixes for this vulnerability. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies that prevent users from opening untrusted DjVu files, particularly in enterprise environments. Network security controls such as content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms should be deployed to analyze and quarantine potentially malicious documents before they reach end users. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict the execution of unauthorized applications, including older versions of STDU Viewer that may contain this vulnerability. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify systems running vulnerable versions of the software, while user education programs should emphasize the risks of opening untrusted documents. The fix for this vulnerability typically involves implementing proper bounds checking and memory validation during the DjVu file parsing process, ensuring that all input data is properly sanitized before being processed by the application's internal functions.