CVE-2017-15772 in XnView Classic
Summary
by MITRE
XnView Classic for Windows Version 2.43 allows attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .dwg file, related to "Data from Faulting Address may be used as a return value starting at CADImage+0x0000000000285e9d."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2019
CVE-2017-15772 represents a critical vulnerability in XnView Classic for Windows version 2.43 that manifests through improper handling of maliciously crafted .dwg files. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption issues and specifically relates to how the application processes Computer-Aided Design files during image parsing operations. The flaw occurs at the CADImage+0x0000000000285e9d memory location where data from a faulting address is improperly utilized as a return value, creating a dangerous condition that can lead to system instability or arbitrary code execution.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to prepare a specially crafted .dwg file that triggers a specific memory access pattern within the XnView Classic application. When the vulnerable application attempts to parse this malicious file, it encounters corrupted data at the specified memory offset which then gets interpreted as a valid return value during the CAD image processing routine. This memory mismanagement creates an execution flow that can be manipulated to cause unpredictable behavior including application crashes, system hangs, or potentially full system compromise depending on the execution environment and memory layout. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-248: Uncaught Exception, where improper bounds checking and exception handling lead to memory corruption.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to end users and organizations that rely on XnView Classic for image viewing and management tasks. The attack vector requires user interaction through opening a malicious file, making it susceptible to social engineering campaigns where attackers might distribute infected .dwg files through email attachments, file sharing platforms, or compromised websites. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the vulnerability could potentially be leveraged for privilege escalation or remote code execution in certain environments, particularly when the application runs with elevated privileges or in automated processing scenarios. This makes it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where image processing automation might be employed.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the latest version of XnView Classic where this vulnerability has been addressed, implementing strict file validation policies for .dwg files, and deploying sandboxing mechanisms for image file processing. Network-based mitigations should include content filtering solutions that can detect and block suspicious .dwg file patterns, while endpoint protection measures should focus on monitoring for unusual application behavior and memory access patterns. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices in image processing libraries, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic and T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, which emphasize the need for robust application security controls to prevent exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. System administrators should also consider implementing least privilege principles for applications that handle external file inputs to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts.