CVE-2017-15249
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 "Data from Faulting Address controls Code Flow starting at PDF!xmlGetGlobalState+0x00000000000668d6."
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in IrfanView 4.44 (32-bit) with PDF plugin 4.43 allows remote code execution or denial of service via a specially crafted PDF file. The vulnerability involves control flow hijacking where data from a faulting address influences code execution at PDF!xmlGetGlobalState, indicating a write-what-where or similar memory corruption flaw.
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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Identify IrfanView versionCheck the IrfanView executable (i_view32.exe) version property, typically found in C:\Program Files\IrfanView\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\, or open IrfanView and go to Help > About to view the version numberAffected if Version is exactly 4.44 (32-bit build)
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Identify PDF plugin versionNavigate to the IrfanView Plugins folder (typically C:\Program Files\IrfanView\Plugins\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\Plugins\), locate the PDF-related DLL (commonly pdf.dll or similar), and check its file properties for the version numberAffected if PDF plugin version is exactly 4.43
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Confirm 32-bit architectureVerify the IrfanView executable is the 32-bit version by checking if i_view32.exe exists and is not the 64-bit variant (i_view64.exe), or by checking the file properties for the Binary Architecture fieldAffected if The installed version is the 32-bit (x86) build of IrfanView
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Check if PDF plugin is loaded/enabledAttempt to open any PDF file in IrfanView or verify the PDF plugin DLL exists in the Plugins directory and is not explicitly disabled or removedAffected if The PDF plugin DLL is present and functional, enabling PDF file handling in IrfanView
All four conditions must be true for the system to be affected: IrfanView version 4.44 (32-bit), PDF plugin version 4.43, and the PDF plugin must be loaded and functional.
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 patched versions; avoid opening untrusted PDF files until updates are applied.
- Consultation2.0 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 $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15249 — 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-2017-15249 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data