CVE-2004-0827 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in the ImageMagick graphics library 5.x before 5.4.4, and 6.x before 6.0.6.2, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via malformed (1) AVI, (2) BMP, or (3) DIB files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0827 represents a critical security flaw in the ImageMagick graphics library that affected versions 5.x prior to 5.4.4 and 6.x prior to 6.0.6.2. This vulnerability stems from multiple buffer overflow conditions that occur when processing specially crafted multimedia files including AVI, BMP, and DIB formats. The flaw exists in the library's handling of malformed image data, where insufficient input validation and boundary checking allow attackers to manipulate memory allocation and execution flow. These buffer overflows create opportunities for both denial of service attacks that crash applications and potential code execution exploits that could allow remote attackers to gain unauthorized system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper memory management within ImageMagick's file parsing routines for multimedia formats. When the library processes AVI, BMP, or DIB files, it fails to properly validate the size and structure of incoming data before allocating memory buffers. This allows attackers to craft malicious files that contain oversized or malformed headers, causing the application to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The vulnerability manifests as buffer overflows in the image processing pipeline, where the library's internal data structures cannot accommodate the unexpected data sizes, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to redirect program execution or cause application crashes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to systems that process untrusted image files, particularly web servers, email servers, and file sharing platforms that may encounter malicious multimedia content. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enabling remote code execution, making it a critical concern for organizations running vulnerable versions of ImageMagick. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by uploading or transmitting specially crafted AVI, BMP, or DIB files that would trigger the buffer overflow conditions when processed by applications using the vulnerable library. The vulnerability's widespread nature means that any system relying on ImageMagick for image processing could be compromised, particularly in environments where user-uploaded content is not properly sanitized.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of ImageMagick, specifically versions 5.4.4 and 6.0.6.2 or later, which contain the necessary fixes for the buffer overflow conditions. Network-based defenses should include implementing file type validation and content filtering to prevent processing of potentially malicious multimedia files, particularly in web applications and file upload handlers. System administrators should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms and privilege separation to limit the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploitation of vulnerabilities in software libraries, highlighting the importance of maintaining up-to-date third-party components and implementing comprehensive security monitoring for file processing operations.