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SwftoolsApplication

CVE-2010-1516

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-08-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple integer overflows in SWFTools 0.9.1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via (1) a crafted PNG file, related to the getPNG function in lib/png.c; or (2) a crafted JPEG file, related to the jpeg_load function in lib/jpeg.c.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Multiple integer overflow vulnerabilities in SWFTools 0.9.1 image processing libraries allow remote code execution via crafted malicious PNG files (getPNG in lib/png.c) and JPEG files (jpeg_load in lib/jpeg.c). The overflows occur when processing malformed image files, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code.

MitigationUpgrade SWFTools to a patched version that addresses the integer overflows in PNG and JPEG processing functions, or implement input validation and file type restrictions on files processed by these utilities.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
SwftoolsApplication
Affected:= 0.9.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if SWFTools is installed
    Run 'swftools -V' or 'swfextract -V' to see version information, or check for presence of swftools binaries in common paths like /usr/bin/, /usr/local/bin/, or via package manager like dpkg -l | grep swftools
    Affected if SWFTools is installed and the version is 0.9.1
  2. Identify installed SWFTools version
    Execute 'swftools -V' or check the binary version using 'file $(which swftools)' or look at package metadata
    Affected if Version returned is exactly 0.9.1
  3. Verify the vulnerable library files exist
    Check for lib/png.c and lib/jpeg.c source files in the SWFTools installation directory, or check the compiled library files used by SWFTools utilities
    Affected if The PNG processing library (getPNG function) and JPEG processing library (jpeg_load function) are present in the installation
  4. Confirm untrusted image file processing occurs
    Review system logs, workflow configurations, or user uploads to see if PNG or JPEG files from external/untrusted sources are processed by SWFTools utilities like pdf2swf, swfextract, or swfbgcolor
    Affected if The system processes PNG or JPEG files from untrusted or external sources through SWFTools

A user is affected if SWFTools version 0.9.1 is installed and the system processes untrusted PNG or JPEG files through the getPNG or jpeg_load functions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade SWFTools to a patched version that addresses the integer overflows in PNG and JPEG processing functions, or implement input validation and file type restrictions on files processed by these utilities.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest stable SWFtools release (post-0.9.1, such as 0.9.2 or later stable branch)

  1. 1. Check current SWFtools version using: swftools -V or pdf2swf -V
  2. 2. Download the latest stable release of SWFtools from the official repository (available at git://git.swftools.org/swftools.git or releases from sf.net/projects/swftools)
  3. 3. Remove the existing vulnerable SWFtools installation
  4. 4. Install the upgraded version following standard build procedures: ./configure, make, make install
  5. 5. Verify the new version is installed and the vulnerable functions (getPNG in lib/png.c and jpeg_load in lib/jpeg.c) are no longer exposed
Caveat Standard upgrade risk - verify compatibility with any custom integration or workflow that depends on specific SWFtools behavior

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Swftools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-1516 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data