CVE-2019-15293 in ACDSee Photo Studio Standard
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in ACDSee Photo Studio Standard 22.1 Build 1159. There is a User Mode Write AV starting at IDE_ACDStd!IEP_ShowPlugInDialog+0x000000000023d060.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-15293 represents a critical write access violation within ACDSee Photo Studio Standard version 22.1 Build 1159, specifically manifesting in the user mode execution context. This issue occurs within the IDE_ACDStd!IEP_ShowPlugInDialog function, where an invalid memory write operation takes place at the specified offset 0x000000000023d060. The flaw resides in the plugin dialog display mechanism, suggesting that the application fails to properly validate or sanitize input parameters when rendering third-party plugin interfaces. Such vulnerabilities typically arise from improper memory management practices, where the application attempts to write data to memory locations that are either unallocated, protected, or otherwise inaccessible within the user mode execution environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-787, which describes out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities, and potentially CWE-121, indicating stack-based buffer overflow conditions. The write access violation occurs during plugin dialog rendering, implying that malicious actors could exploit this weakness by crafting specially formatted plugin data or by manipulating the application's plugin loading mechanism. The specific location within the IDE_ACDStd module suggests this is part of the application's core plugin architecture, making it a prime target for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's manifestation in user mode indicates that exploitation does not require elevated privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal application usage.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security implications for end users of ACDSee Photo Studio Standard, as it could potentially allow remote code execution or system compromise through carefully crafted plugin content. Attackers could leverage this flaw by creating malicious plugins or by compromising existing plugin repositories, leading to arbitrary code execution within the context of the running application. The vulnerability's location in the plugin dialog handler suggests that any third-party plugin could serve as an exploitation vector, particularly if the application does not properly validate plugin metadata or content integrity. This makes the attack surface broader than typical buffer overflow scenarios, as it involves the entire plugin ecosystem.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment from the vendor, as well as implementing runtime protections such as data execution prevention and address space layout randomization. Organizations should also consider restricting plugin installations to trusted sources only and implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized plugin execution. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in plugin architectures, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through scripting and T1203 for exploitation of software vulnerabilities. Security teams should monitor for any exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability and implement network-based detection measures to identify potential attacks leveraging this flaw in the plugin loading process.