CVE-2007-3741 in gimp
Summary
by MITRE
The (1) psp (aka .tub), (2) bmp, (3) pcx, and (4) psd plugins in gimp allow user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash or memory consumption) via crafted image files, as discovered using the fusil fuzzing tool.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3741 represents a critical security flaw in the GNU Image Manipulation Program gimp application affecting multiple image format plugins. This issue specifically targets the psp t ub bmp pcx and psd plugins which are responsible for handling various bitmap and image file formats. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and memory management within these plugins when processing malformed or specially crafted image files. The discovery of this weakness occurred through systematic fuzzing techniques employing the fusil tool which systematically tests software applications with random or malformed inputs to identify potential security flaws and crash conditions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from buffer overflows and improper memory handling within the image parsing routines of these plugins. When gimp attempts to load or process maliciously crafted image files through these vulnerable plugins, the application fails to properly validate the file structure or limit memory allocation. This leads to either immediate application crashes due to memory corruption or gradual memory exhaustion that can cause the application to become unresponsive or consume excessive system resources. The vulnerability is classified as user-assisted remote exploitation because attackers need to convince victims to open malicious files, but the actual exploitation can occur remotely through various delivery mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective this vulnerability poses significant risks to users who rely on gimp for image processing tasks. The denial of service conditions can disrupt workflow for graphic designers photographers and digital artists who depend on the application for their professional activities. The vulnerability affects a broad range of users since these image formats are commonly used across various platforms and applications. The potential for memory consumption attacks means that even a single malicious file could cause system instability or resource exhaustion that affects the entire operating environment. This type of vulnerability also provides a potential entry point for more sophisticated attacks as attackers can use the denial of service condition to establish a foothold or mask other malicious activities.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow and CWE-122 heap-based buffer overflow classifications as it involves improper handling of memory allocation during image file processing. From an attack framework perspective this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1203 legitimate credentials for initial access and T1499 endpoint denial of service for the exploitation phase. The recommended mitigations include immediate patching of gimp to the latest stable versions that contain fixes for these image plugin vulnerabilities. Users should also implement defensive measures such as restricting file type associations and implementing sandboxing mechanisms when processing untrusted image files. Additionally organizations should establish secure file handling procedures and consider using automated tools to scan image files for potential malicious content before processing. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to ensure that similar issues are identified and addressed before they can be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and memory management practices in multimedia applications that handle user-supplied data files.