CVE-2017-7950 in Nitro Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Nitro Pro 11.0.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted PCX file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7950 affects Nitro Pro version 11.0.3 and earlier, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely through maliciously crafted PCX image files. This vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation and insufficient error handling within the application's image processing pipeline. The flaw specifically manifests when the Nitro Pro software attempts to parse and render a specially crafted PCX file, leading to an application crash that disrupts normal operations and potentially affects user productivity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize input data from PCX image files before processing them. When Nitro Pro encounters a malformed PCX file containing maliciously constructed headers or data structures, the parsing routine fails to handle the unexpected input gracefully, resulting in a segmentation fault or memory access violation that terminates the application process. This represents a classic buffer over-read or improper memory management issue that aligns with CWE-125 and CWE-787 categories, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to manipulate memory access patterns. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, requiring no special privileges or authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter untrusted image files.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability, potentially disrupting business processes that rely on document processing capabilities. Organizations using Nitro Pro for document preparation, editing, and collaboration may experience unexpected service interruptions when users inadvertently open maliciously crafted PCX files. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can deliver the malicious payload through various channels including email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms, making the attack surface broad and difficult to control. This vulnerability can be categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and T1203 for exploitation for arbitrary code execution, though the immediate impact is limited to denial of service rather than privilege escalation or data compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-7950 should prioritize immediate software updates to versions that address the PCX parsing vulnerability, as provided by the vendor. System administrators should implement network-based controls including firewall rules that restrict access to potentially malicious file types and establish content filtering mechanisms to scan and block suspicious PCX files before they reach end users. Additionally, user education regarding safe file handling practices and the importance of only opening files from trusted sources should be emphasized. Organizations may also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict which applications can process image files, and deploying sandboxing techniques to isolate image processing activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in document processing applications, and serves as a reminder that image format parsers remain common attack vectors in enterprise environments. Regular vulnerability assessments and security testing of document processing software should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other applications that may present similar risk profiles to CVE-2017-7950.