CVE-2017-9916 in IrfanView
Summary
by MITRE
IrfanView version 4.44 (32bit) with TOOLS Plugin 4.50 might allow attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted file, related to "Data from Faulting Address controls Branch Selection starting at ntdll_77df0000!RtlFreeHandle+0x00000000000001b6."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9916 affects IrfanView version 4.44 when used with the TOOLS Plugin version 4.50, presenting a significant security risk that could lead to denial of service conditions or potentially more severe unspecified impacts. This issue manifests through the processing of crafted files that exploit memory management flaws within the application's handling of file data. The vulnerability specifically relates to how the software manages memory allocation and deallocation, particularly when processing malformed input files that trigger unexpected behavior in the underlying system libraries.
The technical flaw resides in the interaction between IrfanView's file processing engine and the Windows ntdll library, where data from a faulting address directly controls branch selection within the RtlFreeHandle function. This represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow scenario that can be exploited through careful manipulation of file headers or content structures. The vulnerability occurs at the memory management level where the application attempts to free memory handles without proper validation of the data structure being processed, allowing attackers to manipulate the execution flow through controlled memory corruption. This type of flaw falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities, both of which are commonly exploited in denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes, as it could potentially allow remote code execution or privilege escalation depending on the system configuration and exploitation method. When an attacker successfully triggers this vulnerability, the application may crash or behave unpredictably, leading to denial of service for legitimate users. The flaw is particularly concerning because it affects a widely used image viewer application that many users trust for processing various file formats, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to compromise systems through social engineering or automated exploitation campaigns. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate memory management error handling within the application's plugin architecture.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9916 should focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by the vendor, as well as implementing additional security controls to prevent exploitation. Organizations should disable the TOOLS Plugin or upgrade to newer versions of IrfanView that have addressed this vulnerability. Network-level protections such as file filtering and sandboxing mechanisms can help reduce the risk of exploitation by preventing potentially malicious files from reaching vulnerable systems. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual application behavior or crash patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service through memory corruption, and defensive measures should include process monitoring and application whitelisting to prevent execution of untrusted code. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar memory management flaws in other applications and plugins within the organization's attack surface.