CVE-2007-3474 in GD Graphics Library
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the GIF reader in the GD Graphics Library (libgd) before 2.0.35 have unspecified impact and user-assisted remote attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3474 affects the GD Graphics Library, specifically its GIF reader component within libgd versions prior to 2.0.35. This issue represents a critical security weakness that could potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability through crafted malicious GIF files. The GD Graphics Library serves as a fundamental graphics processing library used by numerous web applications and systems for image manipulation and rendering, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a security perspective.
The technical flaw resides in the GIF reader implementation within libgd, where unspecified memory corruption vulnerabilities exist that can be triggered when processing malformed GIF image files. These vulnerabilities likely stem from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the library's parsing routines. The unspecified nature of the impact suggests that multiple distinct attack vectors may exist, potentially including buffer overflows, integer overflows, or other memory-related issues that could be exploited by attackers who can influence the processing of GIF images. The user-assisted remote attack vector indicates that exploitation typically requires some form of user interaction or specific conditions that allow attackers to deliver malicious GIF content to systems using the vulnerable library.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across numerous systems and applications that depend on libgd for image processing functionality. Web servers, content management systems, image processing applications, and any software that handles GIF image files through the GD library could be compromised if they process untrusted image data. Attackers could potentially leverage these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or service disruption. The vulnerability's presence in widely-used software components means that the potential attack surface is extensive, affecting everything from small web applications to large enterprise systems that rely on proper image handling capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems with libgd version 2.0.35 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems using vulnerable versions of the library and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. Additional protective measures include implementing proper input validation for image files, restricting image upload capabilities where possible, and deploying network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious image file processing activities. From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which addresses out-of-bounds read conditions, and potentially CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities, both of which are commonly exploited in graphics processing libraries. The attack patterns associated with this vulnerability would typically map to ATT&CK techniques involving code injection and privilege escalation, with the initial compromise often occurring through web-based attack vectors that leverage the vulnerable image processing functionality.