dbcve.org
IrfanviewApplication

CVE-2020-23550

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
IrfanView 4.54 allows a user-mode write access violation starting at FORMATS!GetPlugInInfo+0x0000000000007e82.

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 confidence

IrfanView 4.54 contains a user-mode write access violation vulnerability in the FORMATS plugin component, specifically in the GetPlugInInfo function. This memory corruption issue can be triggered when processing specially crafted image files, potentially leading to application crash or potentially arbitrary code execution with user privileges.

MitigationUpgrade IrfanView to a version beyond 4.54 that addresses the write access violation in the FORMATS plugin. Avoid opening untrusted image files until the update is applied.

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
IrfanviewApplication
Affected:= 4.54

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
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 checks

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

  1. Verify IrfanView installation and version
    Locate IrfanView executable (typically C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\i_view32.exe). Right-click the file, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic datafile where "name='C:\\Program Files\\IrfanView\\i_view32.exe'" get Version' or open IrfanView and go to Help > About IrfanView.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.54 (reported as 4.54.0.0 or similar)
  2. Confirm the FORMATS plugin is present
    Navigate to the IrfanView plugins directory (typically C:\Program Files\IrfanView\Plugins or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\Plugins). Look for formats.dll or similar FORMATS plugin files. You can also run 'dir C:\Program Files\IrfanView\Plugins\formats*' or 'dir C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\Plugins\formats*' in Command Prompt.
    Affected if The FORMATS plugin file (formats.dll) exists in the Plugins directory
  3. Check if the GetPlugInInfo function is exposed
    Open IrfanView and go to menu: Image > Information, or try to open various image file types. The vulnerability triggers when the GetPlugInInfo function is called during image processing. You can also examine the FORMATS plugin file properties to confirm it is version 4.54.
    Affected if IrfanView loads and processes images using the vulnerable FORMATS plugin (this is the default behavior)
  4. Identify if untrusted image files are processed
    Review system activity logs or user workflow to determine if IrfanView is used to open image files from untrusted or external sources. Check recent files accessed via IrfanView, or examine browser download folders if IrfanView is set as the default image viewer.
    Affected if The user or any application opens image files using IrfanView, particularly files from untrusted sources

A user is affected if IrfanView version 4.54 is installed with the FORMATS plugin and image files are processed, as the memory corruption in GetPlugInInfo triggers during normal image handling operations.

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

Upgrade IrfanView to a version beyond 4.54 that addresses the write access violation in the FORMATS plugin. Avoid opening untrusted image files until the update is applied.

Fix this in Irfanview Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-23550 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-23550 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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