CVE-2017-15246
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 · uneditedIrfanView version 4.44 (32bit) with PDF plugin version 4.43 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via a crafted .pdf file, related to a "Read Access Violation on Block Data Move starting at PDF!xmlListWalk+0x000000000001515b."
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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability in IrfanView PDF plugin version 4.43 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a specially crafted PDF file. The vulnerability manifests as a read access violation during block data move operations in the xmlListWalk function.
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= 4.44= 4.43CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify IrfanView installation and versionCheck for IrfanView installation (typically in C:\Program Files\IrfanView or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView) and examine irfanview.exe properties to obtain the version number, or run 'irfanview.exe /?' or check Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if IrfanView version equals 4.44 exactly (not higher or lower)
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Locate and identify the PDF pluginSearch for PDF plugin file (typically named Pdf.dll, PDF.dll, or similar) within the IrfanView installation directory under a 'Plugins' or 'Plugins32' subfolderAffected if PDF plugin file exists in the IrfanView plugins directory
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Obtain PDF plugin versionRight-click the PDF plugin DLL file, select Properties, and check the Version tab for the product version, or use a tool like 'exiftool' or PowerShell Get-ItemProperty to read version metadataAffected if PDF plugin version equals 4.43 exactly (not higher or lower)
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Confirm vulnerability trigger conditionThe vulnerability is triggered when opening a specially crafted PDF file using IrfanView with the PDF plugin loaded - the xmlListWalk function performs a block data move operation on malformed PDF contentAffected if Both conditions are true: IrfanView 4.44 is installed AND PDF plugin version 4.43 is present and functional
A user is affected if they have IrfanView version 4.44 paired with PDF plugin version 4.43, as this specific version combination contains the memory corruption flaw in the xmlListWalk function.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate IrfanView and its PDF plugin to the latest patched versions. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files until the update is applied.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15246 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-15246 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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