CVE-2017-9157
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 · uneditedlibautotrace.a in AutoTrace 0.31.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid write and SEGV), related to the pnm_load_ascii function in input-pnm.c:306:14.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in AutoTrace 0.31.1's PNM image file parser. The pnm_load_ascii function in input-pnm.c fails to properly validate buffer bounds before writing data when processing ASCII-format PNM (portable anymap) files, allowing remote attackers to trigger invalid memory writes and segmentation faults via specially crafted input files.
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= 0.31.1CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify AutoTrace installation and versionRun 'autotrace --version' or check your package manager for the installed autotrace package versionAffected if The installed version is 0.31.1
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Confirm PNM input module is presentCheck for the presence of input-pnm.c or the compiled PNM input handler in your autotrace installation directoryAffected if The PNM input module (input-pnm.c) exists in the installation
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Identify PNM file processing activityReview logs, scripts, or automated workflows that use autotrace to process image files, looking for .pnm, .ppm, .pgm, or .pbm file extensionsAffected if AutoTrace is being used to process ASCII-format PNM files
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Check for custom or unsanitized PNM inputInspect any PNM files being passed to autotrace for non-standard dimensions, unusually large header values, or crafted ASCII pixel data that could trigger the bounds issueAffected if Users process untrusted or unknown-origin PNM files through autotrace
You are affected if AutoTrace version 0.31.1 is installed and processing ASCII-format PNM (portable anymap) files, particularly from untrusted sources.
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 dataImplement proper bounds checking and input validation in the pnm_load_ascii function before any memory writes. Validate all array indices and buffer sizes against the actual PNM image dimensions to prevent out-of-bounds access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9157 — 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-2017-9157 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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