CVE-2017-9891 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+0x0000000000007053."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9891 represents a critical denial of service flaw within IrfanView version 4.44 when utilizing the FPX Plugin version 4.46. This issue stems from improper handling of malformed .fpx files, which are part of the FlashPix image format commonly used for high-resolution digital photography. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes a specially crafted FlashPix file that contains malformed data structures, leading to unpredictable behavior during image parsing operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the FPX plugin's function FPX_GetScanDevicePropertyGroup where memory corruption occurs at address 0x0000000000007053. This location represents a faulting address where invalid data from an improperly formatted file is being used as arguments in subsequent function calls. The flaw demonstrates characteristics of a buffer overflow or memory access violation pattern, where the application fails to properly validate input data before processing it. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125: "Out-of-bounds Read" and potentially CWE-787: "Out-of-bounds Write" depending on the specific memory corruption pattern, as the application attempts to use data from an invalid memory location as function parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as the description suggests potential for unspecified other impacts. An attacker could potentially leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability, particularly when the vulnerable application automatically processes image files from untrusted sources. The vulnerability affects systems where IrfanView is configured to automatically load and process FPX files, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter malicious image files through email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203: "Exploitation for Client Execution" as it represents a client-side exploitation vector that can be triggered through file processing.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9891 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected IrfanView version with the latest available updates from the vendor. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies that prevent automatic execution of potentially malicious image files, particularly those with uncommon formats like FPX. Network-based protections could include content filtering systems that block FPX files or implement sandboxing mechanisms for image file processing. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of opening untrusted image files remains crucial, as social engineering attacks often exploit such vulnerabilities. Organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of vulnerable applications or specific plugin versions, and maintain regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other image processing libraries that may share similar code patterns or architectures.