dbcve.org
OpenexifApplication · Openexif Project

CVE-2017-14931

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-09-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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
ExifImageFile::readDQT in ExifImageFileRead.cpp in OpenExif 2.1.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer over-read and application crash) via a crafted JPEG file.

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

A stack-based buffer over-read vulnerability exists in OpenExif 2.1.4's ExifImageFile::readDQT function in ExifImageFileRead.cpp. When parsing a crafted JPEG file, the DQT (Define Quantization Table) parsing logic fails to properly validate table indices/sizes before reading, causing the application to read beyond allocated stack buffer boundaries, resulting in denial of service via crash.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of OpenExif if available, or implement proper bounds checking in the readDQT function to validate quantization table indices and lengths before reading from the buffer.

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
OpenexifApplication
Affected:= 2.1.4

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Identify if OpenExif is installed
    Search for OpenExif library files (libOpenExif, OpenExif, or related binaries) on the system using package managers (dpkg, rpm, brew) or file system searches (find /usr/lib -name '*OpenExif*')
    Affected if OpenExif library or any application using it is found on the system
  2. Check the installed OpenExif version
    Run version query commands such as 'dpkg -l | grep -i openexif', 'rpm -qi openexif', or check the library file version string if available
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.1.4 (the only affected version per the advisory)
  3. Identify applications using OpenExif to process JPEG files
    Search for compiled applications or services that link against OpenExif and process image files - check process lists, dependencies (ldd), or application logs showing JPEG parsing activity
    Affected if Any application uses OpenExif to parse JPEG files from untrusted sources
  4. Inspect the vulnerable code in ExifImageFileRead.cpp
    If source code is available, locate the readDQT function and verify it lacks proper bounds checking on quantization table indices before buffer access - compare against the vulnerable implementation
    Affected if The readDQT function in the installed version lacks index/size validation before reading quantization tables
  5. Test with a crafted JPEG file (if safe to do so)
    Use a proof-of-concept DQT malformed JPEG file to attempt to trigger the buffer over-read - monitor for crash or abnormal termination of the parsing application
    Affected if The application crashes or exhibits stack over-read behavior when processing the crafted file

The system is affected only if OpenExif version 2.1.4 is installed and used to parse JPEG files from potentially untrusted sources, since this is a specific version vulnerability in the DQT parsing routine.

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 to a patched version of OpenExif if available, or implement proper bounds checking in the readDQT function to validate quantization table indices and lengths before reading from the buffer.

Fix this in Openexif Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14931 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2017-14931 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