CVE-2024-6820
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 AWD File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of IrfanView. 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 AWD files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-23232.
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's AWD image file parser contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied data during file parsing. The flaw allows an attacker to write past the end of an allocated memory buffer by crafting a malicious AWD file, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process.
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= 4.66CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if IrfanView is installedLook for IrfanView in the program files directory (usually C:\Program Files\IrfanView or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView), or check the Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IrfanView or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\IrfanViewAffected if IrfanView is found on the system
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Verify the installed version is 4.66Right-click irfanview.exe, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the File Version, or run 'irfanview.exe /?' and look at the version information displayedAffected if The installed version is exactly 4.66
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Confirm AWD file support is presentCheck if the awd.dll plugin file exists in the IrfanView plugins folder (typically C:\Program Files\IrfanView\Plugins or C:\Program Files (x86)\IrfanView\Plugins)Affected if The awd.dll plugin is present in the plugins directory
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Check if AWD file associations existOpen Windows Registry and look under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for .awd extension entries, or right-click any .awd file and view its 'Opens with' associationAffected if AWD files are associated with IrfanView or the awd.dll plugin is loaded by IrfanView
The system is affected only if IrfanView version 4.66 is installed AND the AWD file parser plugin (awd.dll) is present and capable of loading untrusted AWD files.
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 dataRestrict or disable IrfanView's ability to open AWD files until an official vendor patch is available; consider using application control or file type association restrictions to block untrusted AWD files.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-6820 — 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-2024-6820 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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