XnviewApplication

CVE-2017-14271

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-09-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
XnView Classic for Windows Version 2.40 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via a crafted .jb2 file, related to a "User Mode Write AV starting at ntdll_77400000!RtlImpersonateSelfEx+0x000000000000024e."

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 · moderate confidence

XnView Classic v2.40 contains a memory corruption vulnerability when parsing specially crafted JB2 (JBIG2) image files. The vulnerability triggers a user-mode write access violation in ntdll.dll, indicating a buffer overflow or out-of-bounds write during JB2 file parsing. This can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution by crafting a malicious JB2 file that overwrites return addresses or function pointers on the stack.

MitigationUpdate XnView Classic to a version that addresses this vulnerability. Until then, avoid opening untrusted .jb2 files and consider using alternative image viewers for JBIG2 format files. Deploy endpoint protection with behavioral detection to block file-based exploits.

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
XnviewApplication
Affected:= 2.40

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Verify XnView Classic is installed
    Check for XnView.exe in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\XnView\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\XnView\, or search for the executable using the system search function.
    Affected if XnView Classic is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed version of XnView Classic
    Right-click on XnView.exe, select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, open XnView and navigate to Help > About to see the version number.
    Affected if The version displayed is exactly 2.40
  3. Confirm JB2 file handling capability
    Attempt to open a legitimate .jb2 or .jbig2 file in XnView Classic to verify the program can process this image format.
    Affected if XnView Classic successfully opens and displays JB2 images
  4. Check if vulnerable JB2 parsing is reachable
    The vulnerability triggers when parsing JB2 files - no special configuration is required beyond having the ability to open image files in XnView Classic.
    Affected if XnView Classic version 2.40 can open and parse JB2 image files

A user is affected if XnView Classic version 2.40 is installed and the program is used to open specially crafted JB2 (JBIG2) image files, which triggers the memory corruption vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update XnView Classic to a version that addresses this vulnerability. Until then, avoid opening untrusted .jb2 files and consider using alternative image viewers for JBIG2 format files. Deploy endpoint protection with behavioral detection to block file-based exploits.

Fix this in Xnview Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14271 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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-2017-14271 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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