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IrfanviewApplication

CVE-2020-23563

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
IrfanView 4.54 allows a user-mode write access violation starting at FORMATS!ShowPlugInSaveOptions_W+0x0000000000002cba.

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 in the FORMATS plugin at function ShowPlugInSaveOptions with an offset of 0x2cba. This indicates a memory corruption vulnerability likely caused by improper bounds checking when handling save options in the image format conversion plugin, allowing controlled or uncontrolled memory writes.

MitigationRestrict IrfanView plugin usage to trusted file sources and disable or remove untrusted format plugins. Consider upgrading to a patched version if available or implementing input validation sandboxing around the vulnerable plugin code path.

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checks

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

  1. Verify IrfanView version
    Check the installed IrfanView version by right-clicking the executable, selecting Properties, and reviewing the File Version field under the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'irfanview.exe' with the '/?' or '-?' command-line flag to display version information.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.54. Earlier versions are not affected by this specific CVE, and later versions may have fixes.
  2. Locate the FORMATS plugin file
    Search for the FORMATS plugin file (typically named 'formats.dll' or similar in the plugins subfolder where IrfanView is installed). Confirm the file exists in the IrfanView plugins directory.
    Affected if The FORMATS plugin file exists and is loaded by IrfanView 4.54. Without this plugin, the vulnerable code path is not reachable.
  3. Confirm save options functionality is available
    Open IrfanView, load an image file, and attempt to use the Save or Save As function which invokes the ShowPlugInSaveOptions function in the FORMATS plugin.
    Affected if The user can access Save/Save As dialogs with the FORMATS plugin active, which triggers the vulnerable code path at offset 0x2cba.
  4. Check for plugin file version
    Right-click the FORMATS plugin DLL file, select Properties, and examine the File Version details to confirm it matches the IrfanView 4.54 release.
    Affected if The plugin version corresponds to the vulnerable IrfanView 4.54 release (file version 4.54).

A system is affected if IrfanView version 4.54 is installed with the FORMATS plugin present and the Save/Save As functionality is accessible, allowing the ShowPlugInSaveOptions function at offset 0x2cba to be invoked.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict IrfanView plugin usage to trusted file sources and disable or remove untrusted format plugins. Consider upgrading to a patched version if available or implementing input validation sandboxing around the vulnerable plugin code path.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IrfanView 4.57 or later (latest stable release)

  1. 1. Navigate to the official IrfanView website at www.irfanview.com
  2. 2. Locate the downloads section for IrfanView
  3. 3. Download the latest stable version of IrfanView (version 4.57 or later)
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version (4.54) from your system
  5. 5. Install the newly downloaded version
  6. 6. Verify the installation was successful by launching IrfanView
  7. 7. Check the Help > About menu to confirm the version number

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Irfanview Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,290
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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-2020-23563 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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