CVE-2021-46064 – IrfanView 4.59 contains a buffer overflow vulne... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-46064?

CVE-2021-46064 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). IrfanView 4.59 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its TIFF image processing function. When a user opens a malicious TIFF file, attackers can execute arbitrary code on the system. This affects all users running the vulnerable version of IrfanView.

📋 TL;DR

IrfanView 4.59 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its TIFF image processing function. When a user opens a malicious TIFF file, attackers can execute arbitrary code on the system. This affects all users running the vulnerable version of IrfanView.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

IrfanView

Versions: 4.59 (32-bit version specifically mentioned)

Operating Systems: Windows

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: The vulnerability specifically affects the 32-bit version at address 0x413c70, but other versions may also be vulnerable.

📦 What is this software?

Irfanview by Irfanview

View all CVEs affecting Irfanview →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with the same privileges as the user running IrfanView, potentially leading to full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash or limited code execution allowing data theft or malware installation.

🟢

If Mitigated

Application crash without code execution if exploit fails or protections are in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW (IrfanView is typically not an internet-facing service)

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM (Users could open malicious TIFF files from internal sources)

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Buffer overflow vulnerabilities in image processing software are commonly exploited via crafted files.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: IrfanView 4.60 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.irfanview.info/main_history.htm

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Download latest IrfanView from official website. 2. Run installer. 3. Follow installation prompts. 4. Verify version is 4.60 or higher.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable TIFF file association

windows

Prevent IrfanView from automatically opening TIFF files

Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Associations > Find .tiff/.tif > Change to another program

Use alternative TIFF viewer

windows

Configure system to use different software for TIFF files

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict user permissions to limit potential damage from code execution
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check IrfanView version in Help > About. If version is 4.59, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

irfanview.exe /?

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify IrfanView version is 4.60 or higher in Help > About.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes from IrfanView when opening TIFF files
Unusual process creation from IrfanView

Network Indicators:

Downloads of TIFF files from untrusted sources

SIEM Query:

EventID=1000 Source=Application Error ProcessName=irfanview.exe

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-46064

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-120

Published: March 23, 2022

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://irfan.com Product,URL Repurposed
http://irfanview.com Product
https://www.irfanview.info/main_history.htm Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
http://irfan.com Product,URL Repurposed
http://irfanview.com Product
https://www.irfanview.info/main_history.htm Release Notes,Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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