CVE-2017-9775 in Poppler
Summary
by MITRE
Stack buffer overflow in GfxState.cc in pdftocairo in Poppler before 0.56 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted PDF document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9775 represents a critical stack buffer overflow flaw discovered in the pdftocairo component of the Poppler PDF library version 0.56 and earlier. This issue manifests within the GfxState.cc source file where improper input validation leads to memory corruption during PDF document processing. The vulnerability specifically affects the conversion functionality that transforms PDF documents into various image formats, making it particularly dangerous for applications that rely on automated PDF processing. The flaw allows remote attackers to craft malicious PDF documents that trigger the buffer overflow when processed by vulnerable versions of Poppler, potentially leading to application instability and system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking during the parsing of PDF graphics state information. When Poppler encounters specially crafted PDF content that manipulates the graphics state parameters, the application fails to validate the size of data being copied to stack-based buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition occurs because the software does not properly verify that incoming data fits within allocated memory boundaries before performing memory operations. The stack-based nature of the vulnerability means that the overflow corrupts adjacent memory locations including return addresses and local variables, which can result in unpredictable program behavior. According to CWE-121, this vulnerability maps directly to stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent stack memory.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-9775 extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors. While the primary effect manifests as application crashes that can be exploited for DoS attacks, the memory corruption aspects create opportunities for privilege escalation or code execution under certain conditions. Systems that automatically process PDF documents from untrusted sources become particularly vulnerable, including email servers, web applications, and document management systems. The vulnerability affects a wide range of applications that depend on Poppler for PDF rendering and conversion, making it a significant concern for enterprise environments where PDF processing is common. Organizations using vulnerable versions may experience service interruptions, data processing failures, and potential security breaches through exploitation of this memory corruption flaw.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9775 require immediate patching of affected Poppler installations to version 0.56 or later where the vulnerability has been resolved through proper bounds checking implementation. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable Poppler versions and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. Network segmentation and input validation measures can provide additional defense layers by limiting the attack surface and filtering suspicious PDF content before processing. The implementation of sandboxing techniques and restricted execution environments can further reduce the potential impact of exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving buffer overflow exploitation and privilege escalation, making it important for security teams to monitor for potential exploitation patterns and maintain updated threat intelligence. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of Poppler versions to prevent recurrence of this class of memory corruption issues.