CVE-2017-9885 in IrfanView
Summary
by MITRE
IrfanView version 4.44 (32bit) with FPX Plugin 4.46 allows attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .fpx file, related to "Data from Faulting Address is used as one or more arguments in a subsequent Function Call starting at FPX!FPX_GetScanDevicePropertyGroup+0x0000000000006a98."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9885 affects IrfanView version 4.44 when used with the FPX Plugin version 4.46, representing a critical security flaw that can be exploited through maliciously crafted .fpx files. This issue stems from improper handling of data from a faulting address within the FPX plugin's function FPX_GetScanDevicePropertyGroup, where the vulnerable code path begins at offset 0x0000000000006a98. The flaw manifests as a potential denial of service condition that can be triggered simply by opening a specially crafted file, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter untrusted image files.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a classic use-after-free or buffer overflow condition where memory addresses from a faulting operation are improperly utilized as arguments in subsequent function calls. This type of flaw falls under CWE-125, which describes "Out-of-bounds Read" conditions, and potentially CWE-787, "Out-of-bounds Write," depending on the specific execution path. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and memory management practices within the FPX plugin's parsing routines, where the plugin fails to properly validate or sanitize the structure of incoming .fpx file data before attempting to process it. This creates an execution path where corrupted or unexpected data can cause the application to crash or behave unpredictably.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to end users and organizations that rely on IrfanView for image viewing operations, particularly in environments where file attachments or image previews are common. The attack vector is relatively simple, requiring only that a user open a maliciously crafted .fpx file, which could occur through email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms. The potential impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include unspecified other impacts that could potentially allow for arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation depending on the execution context and system configuration. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1203, "Exploitation for Client Execution," where adversaries exploit vulnerabilities in software to execute malicious code on target systems.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper software input validation and memory management practices in multimedia processing applications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of IrfanView and the FPX plugin, implementing file type restrictions, and deploying network-based protections such as intrusion detection systems that can identify and block suspicious .fpx file patterns. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of opening untrusted image files remains crucial, as this vulnerability can be effectively exploited through social engineering campaigns that trick users into opening malicious attachments. The vulnerability also highlights the need for regular security assessments of third-party plugins and extensions that can introduce significant attack surfaces into otherwise secure applications.