CVE-2020-17431 in Studio Photo
Summary
by MITRE • 02/10/2021
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit Studio Photo 3.6.6.922. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of CR2 files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-11333.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2021
CVE-2020-17431 represents a critical buffer overflow vulnerability affecting Foxit Studio Photo version 3.6.6.922 that enables remote code execution through improper handling of CR2 image files. This vulnerability resides in the file parsing mechanism where the application fails to validate user-supplied data during CR2 file processing, creating a condition where memory operations can exceed allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw manifests as a write past the end of an allocated structure, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations and potentially execute arbitrary code within the application's process context. The vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited, meaning victims must either visit a malicious webpage or open a crafted CR2 file containing malicious payload data. This attack vector aligns with common exploitation techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under initial access and execution phases, specifically targeting user interaction and file execution capabilities. The vulnerability's classification as a buffer overflow maps directly to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows memory corruption. The security implications extend beyond simple code execution to potential privilege escalation and system compromise, particularly when the vulnerable application runs with elevated permissions. The affected application's handling of image file formats demonstrates a classic weakness in input validation that has been documented in numerous security advisories and represents a common pattern in multimedia processing software vulnerabilities. Organizations using Foxit Studio Photo should immediately implement patch management protocols to address this vulnerability, as the combination of remote exploitability and code execution capability makes it particularly dangerous. The vulnerability's presence in a document processing application highlights the importance of input sanitization across all file format parsers, regardless of their intended use case. Security professionals should monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability, including unusual network traffic patterns or unexpected file execution behaviors that might indicate exploitation attempts. The ZDI-CAN-11333 reference indicates this vulnerability was identified through coordinated disclosure channels, emphasizing the need for timely patch deployment to prevent widespread exploitation. The technical nature of this vulnerability suggests that similar issues may exist in other image processing components within the same software ecosystem, warranting comprehensive security assessments of related functionality.