CVE-2019-17242
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 4.53 allows a User Mode Write AV starting at WSQ!ReadWSQ+0x000000000000966f.
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 confidenceIrfanView 4.53 contains a User Mode Write Access Violation in the WSQ (Wavelet Scalar Quantization) image format parser, specifically at WSQ!ReadWSQ+0x966f. This indicates a memory corruption vulnerability where the application writes to an invalid memory location during WSQ file processing, which could potentially be exploited for code execution if an attacker controls the write target and data via a specially crafted WSQ file.
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= 4.53CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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.
-
Verify IrfanView 4.53 is installedCheck the installed version by opening IrfanView and going to Help > About, or check the file properties of i_view32.exe or i_view64.exe in the installation directoryAffected if The installed version is exactly 4.53
-
Confirm WSQ format support existsLook for wsq.dll or similar WSQ-related plugin files in the IrfanView plugins directory (typically C:\Program Files\IrfanView\Plugins\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\Plugins\)Affected if WSQ plugin files are present in the plugins directory
-
Check if WSQ file association existsLook for .wsq file associations in the system, or attempt to open a WSQ file with IrfanView to see if it is recognized as a supported formatAffected if WSQ files are associated with or can be opened by IrfanView 4.53
-
Inspect running process for WSQ handlingIf opening a WSQ file, monitor process activity or check recent file access logs to see if IrfanView processes WSQ filesAffected if IrfanView can process and load WSQ image files
You are affected if IrfanView version 4.53 is installed with WSQ format support enabled and you can open or preview WSQ files with this version.
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 or unknown WSQ files in IrfanView 4.53; upgrade to a patched version of IrfanView with updated plugins when available, or use an alternative viewer for WSQ format files.
- 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-2019-17242 — 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-2019-17242 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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