Nis Elements ViewerApplication · Nikon

CVE-2022-40660

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-15
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
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of NIKON NIS-Elements Viewer 1.2100.1483.0. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of PSD images. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-15135.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in NIKON NIS-Elements Viewer when parsing PSD images. The application fails to validate the length of user-supplied data before copying it to a heap buffer, allowing remote code execution via malicious PSD file or page requiring user interaction.

MitigationRestrict handling of untrusted PSD files; update to vendor patch when available; consider compensating controls such as endpoint protection or file sandboxing until vendor fix is released.

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
Nis Elements ViewerApplication
Affected:= 1.2100.1483.0

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:3.1/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 Nikon NIS-Elements Viewer installation
    Check for the presence of Nikon NIS-Elements Viewer in the system (typically found in Program Files or Program Files (x86) directory, or search for nikon*.exe or NIS-Elements*.exe)
    Affected if The application is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the executable (commonly named NIS-Elements Viewer.exe or similar) and check its file version property (right-click > Properties > Details > File Version), or use command: wmic datafile where "name like '%NIS-Elements%'" get Version
    Affected if Version matches 1.2100.1483.0 exactly
  3. Identify PSD file handling capability
    Check if the application has been used to open or can open PSD (Photoshop Document) files. This may be evident from recent files, file associations, or user workflow documentation
    Affected if Users process, view, or open PSD image files using this application
  4. Confirm PSD parsing feature status
    Inspect application configuration or registry for PSD import/enable settings if available, or verify through direct testing with a benign PSD file
    Affected if PSD file parsing is enabled or accessible through the viewer

System is affected if Nikon NIS-Elements Viewer version 1.2100.1483.0 is installed AND users process PSD image files with the application, as the heap overflow occurs during PSD parsing.

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

Restrict handling of untrusted PSD files; update to vendor patch when available; consider compensating controls such as endpoint protection or file sandboxing until vendor fix is released.

Fix this in Nis Elements Viewer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2022-40660 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
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