CVE-2023-42757

Vulnerability

Overview

CVE-2023-42757 affects Process Explorer versions prior to 17.04. The vulnerability stems from improper error handling in the wcscat_s function when the tool attempts to process an executable file that has been renamed to a 255-character name without an extension. This specific filename length and format triggers a failure in string concatenation, leading to a crash or hang of the application [1][2].

Exploitation

Prerequisites

An attacker must be able to rename an executable to a 255-character extensionless name and launch it using the NtCreateUserProcess system call. No elevated privileges are required; the attack can be performed by any user who can execute processes on the system. Once the malicious process is started, Process Explorer becomes functionally unavailable for analysis, effectively denying service to security analysts [2].

Impact

Successful exploitation results in a denial of service condition for Process Explorer, a widely used tool for system monitoring and malware analysis. This can hinder incident response efforts by preventing analysts from inspecting running processes, potentially allowing malicious activity to go undetected [1][2].

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in Process Explorer version 17.04 and later. Users are advised to update to the latest version. No workarounds are available; updating is the only reliable mitigation [2].