CVE-2017-9927 in SWFTools
Summary
by MITRE
In SWFTools 2013-04-09-1007 on Windows, png2swf allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted file, related to a "Read Access Violation starting at image00000000_00400000+0x000000000001b5fe."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9927 affects SWFTools version 2013-04-09-1007 on Windows systems, specifically within the png2swf utility. This flaw represents a critical security issue that demonstrates how improper input validation can lead to severe system instability and potential exploitation. The vulnerability manifests when the png2swf tool processes maliciously crafted png files, creating conditions that result in memory access violations and system disruptions. The affected component operates as part of a broader suite of tools designed for converting various image formats into flash swf files, making it a potential entry point for attackers targeting multimedia processing workflows.
Technical analysis reveals that the vulnerability stems from a read access violation occurring at a specific memory address within the image processing code. The error message indicates a memory access pattern starting at image00000000_00400000+0x000000000001b5fe, which suggests a buffer overread condition in the png parsing routine. This type of memory corruption vulnerability typically occurs when the software attempts to read data beyond the allocated memory boundaries, leading to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, system instability, and potential privilege escalation. The vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues commonly classified as CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to information disclosure or system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it may enable attackers to execute arbitrary code or gain elevated privileges within the affected system. When a user or application processes a maliciously crafted png file through the vulnerable png2swf utility, the memory corruption can trigger system crashes or potentially provide attackers with opportunities to inject malicious payloads. This presents significant risk in environments where automated processing of user-uploaded content occurs, such as web applications, content management systems, or multimedia processing pipelines. The vulnerability's potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that attackers might be able to leverage this flaw for more sophisticated attacks beyond simple service disruption.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9927 should focus on immediate patching of the affected SWFTools version, as no official updates appear to be available for this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement strict input validation measures, including file format verification and size limitations, before processing any image files through multimedia conversion tools. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can help prevent unauthorized execution of vulnerable utilities, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual memory access patterns or application crashes. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management and input validation in multimedia processing software, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through command-line interfaces and T1203 for exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments of multimedia processing workflows and comprehensive vulnerability management programs should include evaluation of legacy tools like SWFTools that may contain unpatched security flaws.