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XnviewApplication

CVE-2017-8381

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-07-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
XnView Classic for Windows Version 2.40 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute code via a crafted .mkv file that is mishandled during the opening of a directory in "Browser" mode, because of a "User Mode Write AV near NULL" in XnView.exe.

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

XnView Classic for Windows Version 2.40 contains a memory corruption vulnerability where a crafted .mkv file triggers a User Mode Write Access Violation near NULL when the user opens a directory containing the file in 'Browser' mode, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationAvoid opening directories in Browser mode when they may contain untrusted .mkv files; check for vendor updates or patches for XnView, and consider using alternative media viewers if no fix is available.

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify XnView Classic is installed
    Check for XnView installation by looking for xnview.exe in typical installation directories (C:\Program Files\XnView\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\XnView\) or by searching for XnView in the Start menu
    Affected if XnView Classic for Windows is installed on the system
  2. Confirm installed version is 2.40
    Right-click xnview.exe, select Properties, and check the File Version field on the Details tab, or run xnview.exe from command line with /? flag to display version information
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.40
  3. Identify accessible directories with .mkv files
    Search local drives and user-accessible directories (such as Downloads, Documents, or shared folders) for .mkv video files that could be opened in XnView
    Affected if There are .mkv files in directories that a user might open with XnView Browser mode

A user is affected if they have XnView Classic version 2.40 installed and use Browser mode to navigate directories containing .mkv files, which is the default behavior when opening folders in XnView.

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

Avoid opening directories in Browser mode when they may contain untrusted .mkv files; check for vendor updates or patches for XnView, and consider using alternative media viewers if no fix is available.

Fix this in Xnview Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2017-8381 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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