CVE-2004-0803 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple vulnerabilities in the RLE (run length encoding) decoders for libtiff 3.6.1 and earlier, related to buffer overflows and integer overflows, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via TIFF files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0803 represents a critical security flaw within the libtiff library version 3.6.1 and earlier releases, specifically affecting the Run Length Encoding (RLE) decoders. This issue arises from inadequate input validation and memory management within the image processing components of the library, which is widely used for handling TIFF image files across various operating systems and applications. The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of compressed image data during the decompression process, creating exploitable conditions that can be leveraged by remote attackers to gain unauthorized system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves buffer overflow conditions and integer overflow scenarios that occur when the RLE decoder processes malformed TIFF files. When the decoder encounters specially crafted RLE-encoded data, it fails to properly validate the size parameters and memory allocation requirements, leading to situations where the program attempts to write data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers. This occurs due to insufficient bounds checking during the decompression process, where integer overflows can cause the calculated buffer sizes to wrap around to extremely small values, subsequently resulting in heap corruption. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow and CWE-129 as an improper validation of array indices, both of which are fundamental memory safety issues that enable arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-0803 extends across numerous systems and applications that rely on libtiff for image processing, including web servers, image editing software, and document management systems. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious TIFF files that, when processed by vulnerable applications, trigger the buffer overflow conditions and allow execution of arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. This creates significant risks for web applications that accept user-uploaded images, as attackers can upload specially crafted TIFF files to gain remote code execution capabilities on the server. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including web-based file uploads, email attachments, and file sharing systems, making it particularly dangerous in environments where untrusted image files are processed.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-0803 require immediate action to upgrade to libtiff version 3.6.2 or later, which contains patches addressing the buffer overflow and integer overflow conditions in the RLE decoders. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive the security updates promptly. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict input validation for image files, deploying file type restrictions to prevent processing of TIFF files when possible, and utilizing sandboxing techniques to isolate image processing operations. Network-level protections such as intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts by monitoring for suspicious file upload patterns and malformed TIFF data. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 as a remote code execution vector and demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices in preventing exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in image processing libraries. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify systems running vulnerable versions of libtiff and establish monitoring protocols to detect potential exploitation attempts.