CVE-2005-1739 in GraphicsMagick
Summary
by MITRE
The XWD Decoder in ImageMagick before 6.2.2.3, and GraphicsMagick before 1.1.6-r1, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via an image with a zero color mask.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1739 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting image processing libraries that handle X Window System Dump format files. This issue impacts both ImageMagick versions prior to 6.2.2.3 and GraphicsMagick versions before 1.1.6-r1, creating a significant security risk for systems that process untrusted image data. The flaw manifests when these libraries encounter specially crafted XWD images containing a zero color mask, which triggers an infinite loop during the decoding process. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks, where malicious input causes legitimate software to consume excessive computational resources, ultimately leading to system instability or complete service unavailability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation and handling of color mask parameters within the XWD decoder implementation. When the decoder encounters an XWD file with a zero color mask, it fails to properly validate the input data structure, leading to a condition where the parsing loop continues indefinitely without making progress. This represents a classic example of inadequate input sanitization and bounds checking, which is categorized under CWE-129 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. The flaw demonstrates a failure in implementing proper loop termination conditions and input parameter validation, allowing malformed data to disrupt normal program execution flow.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to web applications, file processing services, and any system that relies on ImageMagick or GraphicsMagick for image handling. Attackers can exploit this weakness by uploading or providing malicious XWD files to systems that process user-submitted images, causing denial of service conditions that can affect availability of critical services. The infinite loop behavior results in continuous CPU consumption, potentially leading to system resource exhaustion and cascading failures in service availability. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where these libraries are used for automated image processing workflows, as it can be exploited to disrupt legitimate operations without requiring elevated privileges or complex attack vectors.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of affected software versions to the patched releases mentioned in the CVE description. Organizations should prioritize updating their ImageMagick and GraphicsMagick installations to versions 6.2.2.3 and 1.1.6-r1 respectively, which contain the necessary fixes for the XWD decoder. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization measures at the application level can provide defense in depth, including setting resource limits on processing time and memory consumption for image files. Network-based protections such as content filtering and sandboxing techniques can also help prevent exploitation by blocking potentially malicious image files before they reach the vulnerable processing libraries. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion and demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in preventing denial of service attacks.