CVE-2023-50245 – OpenEXR-viewer versions before 0.6.1 contain a ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-50245?

CVE-2023-50245 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). OpenEXR-viewer versions before 0.6.1 contain a buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. This affects users who process untrusted OpenEXR image files with the vulnerable software. The high CVSS score indicates critical severity.

📋 TL;DR

OpenEXR-viewer versions before 0.6.1 contain a buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. This affects users who process untrusted OpenEXR image files with the vulnerable software. The high CVSS score indicates critical severity.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

OpenEXR-viewer

Versions: All versions before 0.6.1

Operating Systems: All platforms where OpenEXR-viewer runs

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability triggers when processing malicious OpenEXR files. Any system with the vulnerable software installed is affected.

📦 What is this software?

Openexr Viewer by Afichet

View all CVEs affecting Openexr Viewer →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) when processing malicious OpenEXR files.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if software runs with minimal privileges and network access is restricted.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires user to open a malicious OpenEXR file. No authentication needed to trigger the vulnerability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 0.6.1

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/afichet/openexr-viewer/security/advisories/GHSA-99jg-r3f4-rpxj

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Stop OpenEXR-viewer processes. 2. Update to version 0.6.1 via package manager or manual installation. 3. Restart the application.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable OpenEXR-viewer

linux

Temporarily disable or uninstall OpenEXR-viewer until patching is possible.

sudo systemctl stop openexr-viewer
sudo apt remove openexr-viewer

Restrict file processing

all

Configure system to prevent OpenEXR-viewer from processing untrusted files.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Run OpenEXR-viewer with minimal privileges (non-root user).
Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check OpenEXR-viewer version: openexr-viewer --version or check installed package version.

Check Version:

openexr-viewer --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is 0.6.1 or higher and test with known safe OpenEXR files.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes with segmentation faults
Memory access violation errors in system logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from OpenEXR-viewer process

SIEM Query:

process_name:"openexr-viewer" AND (event_type:"crash" OR exit_code:139)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-50245

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-120

Published: December 11, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://github.com/afichet/openexr-viewer/commit/d0a7e85dfeb519951fb8a8d70f73f30d41cdd3d9 Patch
https://github.com/afichet/openexr-viewer/security/advisories/GHSA-99jg-r3f4-rpxj Exploit,Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/afichet/openexr-viewer/commit/d0a7e85dfeb519951fb8a8d70f73f30d41cdd3d9 Patch
https://github.com/afichet/openexr-viewer/security/advisories/GHSA-99jg-r3f4-rpxj Exploit,Vendor Advisory

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