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CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd · Global Cybersecurity       Deep-Dive · 2025 · Image RCE · Zero-Click Exploit · Trusted Process Bypass   

A Critical Flaw Lets Hackers Take Over Your PC Just By Viewing an Image. (A CISO’s Guide to Hunting Image Viewer RCE and Zero-Click Exploits)  

The disclosure of a critical vulnerability in common image viewers (e.g., Windows Photos, browser rendering engines, or third-party image libraries) confirms the age of Zero-Click RCE (Remote Code Execution). This flaw allows an attacker to compromise your PC simply by the user viewing a malicious image file, bypassing all file security checks and exploiting the Trusted Process of the viewer. Immediate patching and architectural hardening are mandatory.      By CyberDudeBivash · Founder, CyberDudeBivash Pvt LtdThreatWire Deep-Dive        

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SUMMARY – Image RCE and the Zero-Click Threat

• The flaw is a Critical RCE in a common image processing library, allowing hackers to execute code with SYSTEM privileges by exploiting a malicious image file (Zero-Click).
• The attack bypasses Antivirus (AV) because the payload is fileless (memory corruption) and executes within the Trusted Process of the viewer (e.g., Photos.exe).
• The compromise leads directly to Credential Dumping, Session Hijacking, and Lateral Movement across the network.
• CyberDudeBivash Fix: PATCH IMMEDIATELY. Mandate Application Control (WDAC/AppLocker) to block shell spawning from image viewers. Implement 24/7 Behavioral MDR hunting for the pivot.

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 1. Kaspersky EDR – Behavioural Detection Layer 

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 3. Alibaba Cloud – VPC/SEG and Network Isolation 

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 4. Edureka – Training/DevSecOps Mandate 

          Train your DevSecOps team on Image Library hardening and Zero-Click RCE TTPs.                   Explore Edureka Security Programs →         

Table of Contents

1. Phase 1: The Image Threat-Why Viewing an Image Grants RCE
2. Phase 2: The Zero-Click Kill Chain-From Malicious Image to SYSTEM Shell
3. Phase 3: The EDR/AV Blind Spot and Trusted Process Hijack
4. Phase 4: The Strategic Hunt Guide-IOCs for Anomalous Shell Spawning
5. Phase 5: Mitigation and Resilience-CyberDudeBivash Application Control Mandate
6. Phase 6: DevSecOps Mandates-Securing the Image Pipeline and Libraries
7. CyberDudeBivash Ecosystem: Authority and Solutions for Endpoint Security
8. Expert FAQ & Conclusion

1. Phase 1: The Image Threat-Why Viewing an Image Grants RCE

The Image Viewer Flaw  is a definitive example of a Zero-Click RCE (Remote Code Execution) exploit. This vulnerability allows an attacker to compromise a user’s PC simply by the operating system rendering or previewing a maliciously crafted image file (JPEG, PNG, or specialized format) without any user interaction required beyond opening a folder.

1.1 The Core Flaw: Memory Corruption in Imaging Libraries

The vulnerability resides in the core imaging library or component responsible for parsing the complex header data within the image file (e.g., Exif data, compressed headers). The attacker crafts the image file to trigger a Memory Corruption flaw (such as a Buffer Overflow or Integer Overflow) when the viewer attempts to process it.

• Zero-Click Execution: The attack is often triggered by file preview in Windows Explorer or a messaging app (like WhatsApp/Teams), bypassing the user’s conscious decision to execute a file.
• AV/EDR Bypass: The payload is fileless. The security system sees a legitimate image file (e.g., a `.PNG` or `.JPG`) and allows it to pass. The exploit executes entirely in the memory space of the Trusted Process (the image viewer), leaving no hash signature for Anti-Virus to scan.
• SYSTEM Compromise: The image viewer process (e.g., Photos.exe or a browser renderer) exploits the flaw and attempts to elevate privileges to SYSTEM access, granting the attacker total control over the host.

2. Phase 2: The Zero-Click Kill Chain-From Malicious Image to SYSTEM Shell

The Image RCE kill chain is highly effective because it leverages the operating system’s trust in its own core applications.

2.1 Stage 1: RCE and Sandbox Escape

The attacker’s shellcode gains RCE inside the image viewer process. The attacker immediately attempts a Sandbox Escape or Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) to break out of the application’s confined space.

• Trusted Process Hijack: Once LPE succeeds, the attacker runs the payload using LotL (Living off the Land) binaries, forcing the image viewer to spawn a shell: Photos.exe $\rightarrow$ powershell.exe -e [Encoded Payload].
• Credential Dumping: The attacker uses the SYSTEM shell to immediately execute Mimikatz (in-memory) to dump all local session credentials and hashes, preparing for Lateral Movement.

3. Phase 3: The EDR/AV Blind Spot Failure Analysis

The Image RCE exposes the critical failure of whitelisting and signature-based security models.

3.1 The EDR Whitelist Failure

The EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) solution fails because it cannot police its own trusted applications.

• Trusted Execution: The EDR must whitelist Photos.exe (or Chrome.exe for embedded images). The attacker weaponizes this trust, forcing the whitelisted process to spawn a shell, which the EDR dismisses as low-severity noise.
• Containment Failure: The attacker kills the EDR agent (Defense Evasion) and pivots laterally before the human analyst can manually triage the anomalous shell spawning alert.

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4. Phase 4: The Strategic Hunt Guide-IOCs for Anomalous Shell Spawning

The CyberDudeBivash mandate: Hunting the Image RCE requires immediate focus on Process Telemetry (MITRE T1059).

4.1 Hunt IOD 1: Anomalous Shell Spawning (The P1 Alert)

The highest fidelity IOC (Indicator of Compromise) is the violation of the viewer’s normal process model.

-- EDR Hunt Rule Stub (High Fidelity Image RCE):
SELECT  FROM process_events
WHERE
parent_process_name IN ('Photos.exe', 'mspaint.exe', 'chrome.exe', 'explorer.exe')
AND
process_name IN ('powershell.exe', 'cmd.exe', 'nc.exe', 'bitsadmin.exe')
    

4.2 Hunt IOD 2: Credential Access and Egress Anomalies

Hunt for LSASS Memory Access and subsequent network activity.

• LSASS Access Hunt: Alert on any shell process attempting to read the memory of lsass.exe, signaling Credential Dumping (Mimikatz).
• Network Egress Hunt: Alert on the compromised image viewer process (e.g., Photos.exe) making outbound connections to untrusted C2 hosts, signaling Data Exfiltration prep.

5. Phase 5: Mitigation and Resilience-CyberDudeBivash Application Control Mandate

The definitive defense against the Image RCE threat is Application Control-a kernel-level defense that eliminates the execution capability of the compromised application (MITRE T1560).

5.1 Application Control (The Execution Killer)

You must prevent the compromised image viewer from executing any secondary shell process.

• WDAC/AppLocker: Enforce a policy that explicitly blocks image viewing processes from spawning shell processes (powershell.exe, cmd.exe) or network tools. This breaks the kill chain at the RCE stage.
• Least Privilege: Ensure image viewing processes run with the lowest possible privileges and protect the LSASS process from memory access.

6. Phase 6: DevSecOps Mandates-Securing the Image Pipeline and Libraries

The Image RCE highlights the critical risk of Supply Chain vulnerabilities in image parsing libraries.

• Library Vetting: Use Software Composition Analysis (SCA) to vet all open-source imaging libraries for known memory corruption flaws.
• Phish-Proof Identity: Enforce FIDO2 Hardware Keys for all cloud accounts to neutralize Session Hijacking post-RCE.

7. CyberDudeBivash Ecosystem: Authority and Solutions for Endpoint Security

CyberDudeBivash is the authority in cyber defense because we provide a complete CyberDefense Ecosystem designed to combat image RCE flaws.

• Managed Detection & Response (MDR): Our 24/7 human Threat Hunters specialize in monitoring the EDR telemetry for the Trusted Process Hijack and anomalous Credential Dumping.
• Adversary Simulation (Red Team): We simulate the Image RCE kill chain to verify your Application Control policy is correctly blocking execution.
• SessionShield: The definitive solution for Session Hijacking, providing automated termination for anomalous cloud access.

8. Expert FAQ & Conclusion 

Q: Why does viewing the image grant RCE?

A: The exploit occurs because the imaging library fails to properly process the complex header data in the image file, triggering a Memory Corruption flaw (e.g., Buffer Overflow). This allows the attacker to execute code in-memory within the Trusted Process of the viewer.

Q: How does this RCE bypass Anti-Virus?

A: The RCE bypasses AV because the attack is fileless. The AV sees a benign `.JPG` file and allows it to pass. The exploit executes its shellcode in memory, leaving no file signature for the AV to detect.

Q: What is the single most effective defense?

A: Application Control (WDAC/AppLocker). This prevents the compromised image viewer from spawning any shell process (powershell.exe or cmd.exe), breaking the attacker’s kill chain at the RCE stage. This must be complemented by immediate patching and MDR hunting.

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12. Related Posts & Next Reads from CyberDudeBivash

• Windows 0-Day RCE: Hunting the Spooler Flaw and Trusted Process Hijack
• CyberDudeBivash Apps & Products – SessionShield, PhishRadar AI, and MDR Toolkits
• The DevSecOps Nightmare: Insecure Deserialization and Supply Chain RCE

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