CVE-2018-15817 in Image Viewer
Summary
by MITRE
FastStone Image Viewer 6.5 has a Read Access Violation on Block Data Move starting at image00400000+0x0000000000002d63 via a crafted image file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15817 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within FastStone Image Viewer version 6.5 that manifests as a read access violation during block data movement operations. This issue occurs when the application processes specially crafted image files that trigger improper memory handling during image decoding and rendering processes. The specific memory address where the violation occurs is at image00400000+0x0000000000002d63, indicating a precise location within the application's memory space where corrupted data access attempts are made. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the image parsing component that fails to properly handle malformed image data structures.
This memory access violation constitutes a serious security concern that aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, which describes situations where applications read data from memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries. The flaw allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause application crashes through carefully constructed image files that exploit the improper memory handling behavior. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with heap-based buffer overflow conditions that can be leveraged by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to system resources or disrupt normal application operations. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires only the simple act of opening a malicious image file, making it an attractive target for social engineering campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability to potentially enable more sophisticated attack scenarios. When exploited successfully, the read access violation could allow attackers to execute code within the context of the vulnerable application, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system compromise. The vulnerability affects users who frequently open image files from untrusted sources, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter malicious files through email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms. Security analysts should note that this flaw represents a classic example of a remote code execution vulnerability that can be triggered through user interaction with malicious media files.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15817 should include immediate software updates from the vendor to address the memory handling issues in FastStone Image Viewer. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies that prevent users from opening unknown or untrusted image files, particularly those downloaded from the internet or received through email. Network security controls should be enhanced to filter potentially malicious image files at network boundaries using content inspection mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of image viewers to trusted versions only. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices in multimedia applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution which emphasizes the exploitation of software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code. Additionally, regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in other image processing applications that may be susceptible to similar attack patterns.