CVE-2020-7823 in DaviewIndy
Summary
by MITRE
DaviewIndy has a Memory corruption vulnerability, triggered when the user opens a malformed image file that is mishandled by Daview.exe. Attackers could exploit this and arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-7823 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the DaviewIndy image processing application, specifically manifesting in the Daview.exe executable component. This vulnerability arises from inadequate input validation and memory management practices when processing malformed image files, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with heap-based buffer overflow conditions that can be triggered through improper handling of image file structures during parsing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking and memory allocation routines within the image file parser. When Daview.exe encounters a specially crafted malformed image file, the application fails to properly validate the file structure before attempting to parse and render the image data. This deficiency allows attackers to manipulate memory layout through carefully constructed file headers or metadata that exceed expected buffer sizes, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite critical program execution pointers or return addresses. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, while also presenting characteristics of privilege escalation opportunities through code execution.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations utilizing DaviewIndy for image processing tasks, particularly in environments where users may encounter untrusted image files from external sources. The exploitability of this flaw means that attackers can achieve remote code execution without requiring elevated privileges, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may inadvertently open malicious attachments or download compromised image files from web sources. The attack surface expands when considering that image files can be embedded in various document formats, web content, or email attachments, providing multiple vectors for exploitation. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, and T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands on compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-7823 should prioritize immediate patching of the DaviewIndy application to address the underlying memory corruption issues in the image processing module. Organizations should implement strict file validation controls and restrict user access to potentially malicious file types through network-level filtering and email security solutions. Additionally, deploying application whitelisting policies that limit execution of untrusted image processing applications can significantly reduce exploitation risk. System administrators should monitor for anomalous file processing activities and implement intrusion detection systems that can identify potential exploitation attempts through unusual memory allocation patterns or code execution sequences. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of input sanitization and robust error handling in image processing libraries, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing including fuzzing methodologies to identify similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in similar applications.