CVE-2018-15816 in Image Viewer
Summary
by MITRE
FastStone Image Viewer 6.5 has a Read Access Violation on Block Data Move starting at image00400000+0x0000000000002d7d via a crafted image file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15816 represents a critical memory corruption issue within FastStone Image Viewer version 6.5 that manifests as a read access violation during block data movement operations. This flaw occurs when the application processes specially crafted image files that trigger improper memory handling during image decompression and rendering operations. The specific memory access violation begins at the address image00400000+0x0000000000002d7d, indicating a precise location within the application's memory space where the buffer overflow or memory corruption occurs.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the image processing pipeline of FastStone Image Viewer. When the application encounters malformed image data, it fails to properly validate the structure and bounds of the incoming data before attempting to copy or move memory blocks. This deficiency creates an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious image files that, when opened by the vulnerable software, cause the application to read from unauthorized memory locations or attempt to move data beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of buffer overflow conditions and memory management errors, creating a pathway for potential exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes, as it presents a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks that could lead to arbitrary code execution. When exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause the application to behave unpredictably, potentially leading to denial of service conditions or, in more severe scenarios, enabling remote code execution within the context of the user running the vulnerable software. The vulnerability affects any user who opens crafted image files, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter untrusted image content through email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise environments where image viewing applications are commonly used.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15816 should prioritize immediate software updates from FastStone to the latest version that contains patches addressing this memory corruption issue. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies and consider deploying sandboxing mechanisms for image viewing applications to limit potential damage from exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and may also relate to CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities that could be exploited in similar memory corruption scenarios. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged as part of initial access or execution phases where adversaries attempt to compromise user systems through malicious file attachments, potentially progressing to privilege escalation or persistence mechanisms depending on the execution context and system configuration.