CVE-2019-25621 Overview
Pixel Studio 2.17 contains a denial of service vulnerability that allows local attackers to crash the application by providing malformed input through the keyboard interface. Attackers can trigger the vulnerability by entering arbitrary characters, causing the application to become unresponsive or terminate abnormally. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-807 (Reliance on Untrusted Inputs in a Security Decision).
Critical Impact
Local attackers can crash Pixarra Pixel Studio 2.17 through malformed keyboard input, causing denial of service and disruption to creative workflows.
Affected Products
- Pixarra Pixel Studio version 2.17
- pixarra pixel_studio (cpe:2.3:a:pixarra:pixel_studio:2.17:*:*:*:*:*:*:*)
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-03-23 - CVE CVE-2019-25621 published to NVD
- 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2019-25621
Vulnerability Analysis
This denial of service vulnerability in Pixel Studio 2.17 stems from improper handling of user-supplied input through the keyboard interface. The application fails to adequately validate or sanitize input characters before processing them, leading to application instability when unexpected or malformed data is received. When exploited, the vulnerability causes the application to become unresponsive or terminate abnormally, effectively denying service to legitimate users.
The local attack vector requires an attacker to have access to the system where Pixel Studio is installed. While the vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, it has high impact on availability as documented in the CVSS 4.0 assessment.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability is the application's reliance on untrusted inputs without proper validation (CWE-807). Pixel Studio 2.17 does not implement adequate boundary checking or input sanitization routines for keyboard input, allowing specially crafted or arbitrary character sequences to trigger exception conditions that the application cannot gracefully handle.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have direct access to the system running Pixel Studio. Exploitation involves:
- Launching the Pixel Studio application on the target system
- Providing malformed or arbitrary character input through the keyboard interface
- The application fails to properly handle the unexpected input
- Application becomes unresponsive or crashes, resulting in denial of service
The vulnerability requires no special privileges and no user interaction beyond the attacker's own actions. Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the Exploit-DB #46127 entry.
Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25621
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected Pixel Studio application crashes or terminations
- Application hang states where Pixel Studio becomes unresponsive
- Windows Event Log entries showing application errors for tbpixelstudio.exe
- Repeated application restarts in a short time period
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for abnormal process termination events associated with Pixel Studio
- Implement application crash monitoring using Windows Error Reporting logs
- Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify patterns of application instability
- Review system logs for repeated application failure events
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable application event logging on systems running Pixel Studio
- Configure SentinelOne endpoint agents to monitor for process crash patterns
- Set up alerts for repeated denial of service conditions on creative workstations
- Monitor for suspicious local user activity targeting installed applications
How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25621
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict local access to systems running Pixel Studio 2.17 to trusted users only
- Review and audit user permissions on workstations with the vulnerable application
- Consider temporarily disabling or uninstalling Pixel Studio until a patch is available
- Implement application whitelisting to control execution context
Patch Information
No official patch information is currently available from Pixarra. Users should monitor the Pixarra Official Website for security updates and newer versions of the software. The VulnCheck Advisory on Pixel Studio may provide additional mitigation guidance.
Workarounds
- Limit local access to workstations running Pixel Studio to authorized personnel only
- Implement endpoint protection solutions like SentinelOne to detect and respond to anomalous application behavior
- Consider using application sandboxing to isolate Pixel Studio from critical system components
- Regularly save work to prevent data loss in case of application crashes
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
