CVE-2017-14565 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 .xps file, related to a "Possible Stack Corruption starting at Unknown Symbol @ 0x00000000038f2fbf called from image00000000_00400000+0x0000000000240065."
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14565 affects STDU Viewer version 1.6.375, a document viewing application that processes XPS (XML Paper Specification) files. This flaw represents a critical security issue that could be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt system operations or potentially execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability manifests through improper handling of malformed XPS files, specifically when the application attempts to parse certain elements within these documents. The stack corruption occurs at a specific memory address location, indicating a deep issue within the application's parsing mechanism that processes XPS document structures. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption flaws that can lead to unpredictable behavior and system instability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a stack corruption issue that originates from an unknown symbol at memory address 0x00000000038f2fbf, with the corruption being triggered from within the image00000000_00400000 module at offset 0x0000000000240065. This type of stack-based buffer overflow or corruption represents a classic software security flaw where the application fails to properly validate input data from external sources. The XPS file format, while designed for document representation and printing, contains complex hierarchical structures that when improperly handled can lead to memory corruption issues. The vulnerability demonstrates a lack of proper bounds checking and input validation during the parsing process, allowing crafted malicious input to overwrite stack memory regions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations that rely on STDU Viewer for document processing. An attacker could craft a malicious XPS file that, when opened by an unsuspecting user, would trigger the denial of service condition and potentially lead to more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as the stack corruption could allow for privilege escalation or system compromise depending on the execution environment. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain stable operation and could be exploited in targeted attacks where adversaries might use this flaw as an initial access vector or to establish persistent presence within compromised systems.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through software updates and patches provided by the vendor. Organizations should implement strict file validation policies and consider sandboxing mechanisms when processing untrusted documents. Network segmentation and access controls can help limit potential exploitation scope while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual file processing patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through malicious document files. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other document processing applications within the enterprise environment.