CVE-2017-15253
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 "User Mode Write AV starting at PDF!xmlGetGlobalState+0x000000000007dff2."
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's PDF plugin (versions 4.44/4.43) allows an attacker to write to arbitrary memory locations via a specially crafted PDF file, resulting in a User Mode Write AV. This can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution or cause a denial of service.
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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Locate IrfanView installation directoryCheck common installation paths: C:\Program Files\IrfanView\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\. Look for i_view32.exe.Affected if IrfanView is installed on the system.
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Identify installed IrfanView versionRight-click i_view32.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab to find the File Version. Alternatively, run 'i_view32.exe /?' or check Add/Remove Programs.Affected if The installed IrfanView version is 4.44.
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Locate PDF plugin fileCheck the 'Plugins' subfolder within the IrfanView directory for a PDF-related DLL file (commonly pdf.dll or Plugins\PDF\pdf.dll).Affected if The PDF plugin file exists in the IrfanView plugins directory.
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Identify PDF plugin versionRight-click the PDF plugin DLL file, select Properties, then view the Details tab to find the File Version.Affected if The installed PDF plugin version is 4.43.
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Determine if PDF plugin is actively usedCheck if IrfanView is configured to open PDF files or if any PDF files have been opened with IrfanView recently.Affected if The user opens or has opened PDF files using IrfanView with the vulnerable plugin enabled.
A user is affected if they have IrfanView version 4.44 with PDF plugin version 4.43 installed AND they use IrfanView to open PDF files.
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 dataAvoid opening untrusted PDF files in vulnerable IrfanView installations. Update to patched versions of IrfanView and the PDF plugin when available. Consider running the application in a sandbox or isolated environment as an additional defensive measure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15253 — 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-2017-15253 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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