CVE-2019-5088
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote code execution through a specially crafted BMP file in Investintech Able2Extract Professional. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious BMP files, potentially gaining full control of the victim's system. Users of Able2Extract Professional 14.0.7 x64 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Investintech Able2Extract Professional
📦 What is this software?
Able2extract by Investintech
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control, installing malware, stealing data, and pivoting to other systems.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions preventing system-wide compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious BMP file. The vulnerability is well-documented with technical details available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Later versions after 14.0.7
Vendor Advisory: https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2019-0880
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check current version of Able2Extract Professional. 2. Download and install the latest version from the official vendor website. 3. Restart the application and verify the update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable BMP file association
windowsRemove Able2Extract Professional as the default handler for BMP files to prevent automatic exploitation.
Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Default Programs > Choose another program for .bmp files
Application sandboxing
windowsRun Able2Extract Professional in a sandboxed environment to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict user privilege restrictions - run application with minimal necessary permissions
- Deploy application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About in Able2Extract Professional to see if version is 14.0.7 x64Check Version:
Not applicable - check via application GUIVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version number is higher than 14.0.7 in Help > About menu📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing BMP files
- Unusual process creation from Able2Extract
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from Able2Extract process
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where Parent Process Name contains 'Able2Extract' AND Command Line contains '.bmp'