CVE-2017-15773 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 a "Read Access Violation starting at CADImage+0x0000000000285d79."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2019
CVE-2017-15773 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 involves a read access violation within the CADImage component of the software. The flaw occurs at the memory address CADImage+0x0000000000285d79, indicating a direct memory access problem during the processing of AutoCAD Drawing files. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management practices when parsing the structured data contained within .dwg files, which are commonly used in engineering and architectural applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the vulnerable application attempts to read memory locations that have not been properly initialized or have been corrupted by malicious input. This read access violation represents a classic buffer overread condition where the application accesses memory beyond the bounds of allocated buffers or data structures. Such memory access violations can lead to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, system instability, or potentially more severe consequences depending on the execution context. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because .dwg files are widely used in professional environments where users may encounter untrusted files from various sources, making this a potential vector for both denial of service attacks and arbitrary code execution scenarios.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations that rely on XnView Classic for image processing tasks, particularly in environments where users may encounter untrusted or malicious files. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the memory corruption could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. Attackers could craft malicious .dwg files designed to trigger the specific memory access violation, causing the application to crash or behave unpredictably. In some cases, this type of memory corruption could potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code, depending on the memory layout and protection mechanisms in place. The vulnerability affects users across various Windows platforms and could be particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where image processing tools are extensively used.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2017-15773 requires immediate application of vendor patches or updates to XnView Classic to address the memory handling issues within the CADImage component. Organizations should implement strict file validation policies that prevent automatic processing of untrusted .dwg files and consider implementing sandboxing techniques when handling potentially malicious files. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, which is classified as a common weakness in software security practices and often leads to memory corruption vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution or T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter, depending on how attackers might leverage the memory corruption for further exploitation. Network administrators should monitor for suspicious file processing activities and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. Regular security assessments should include vulnerability scanning for similar memory corruption issues in other image processing libraries and applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being present in the organization's attack surface.