CVE-2007-4985 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
ImageMagick before 6.3.5-9 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted image file that triggers (1) an infinite loop in the ReadDCMImage function, related to ReadBlobByte function calls; or (2) an infinite loop in the ReadXCFImage function, related to ReadBlobMSBLong function calls.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-4985 affects ImageMagick versions prior to 6.3.5-9 and represents a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited by context-dependent attackers. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of crafted image files within the image processing library, which forms the backbone of numerous applications and systems that rely on image manipulation capabilities. The flaw specifically impacts two distinct image format parsers within ImageMagick's codebase, creating multiple attack vectors that can be leveraged to disrupt system availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through two separate infinite loop conditions that occur during the parsing of specific image formats. The first vulnerability occurs in the ReadDCMImage function where consecutive ReadBlobByte function calls create an infinite loop scenario that consumes system resources indefinitely. The second vulnerability exists within the ReadXCFImage function where ReadBlobMSBLong function calls generate similar infinite loop behavior. Both of these conditions are triggered when ImageMagick attempts to process maliciously crafted image files that contain malformed data structures designed to exploit the parsing logic. These infinite loops prevent the application from properly handling legitimate image processing requests and effectively render the service unavailable.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to systems that depend on ImageMagick for image processing tasks. Attackers can exploit this flaw by uploading or providing specially crafted image files to systems running vulnerable versions of ImageMagick, causing the application to enter indefinite processing loops that consume CPU resources and memory. This leads to complete denial of service conditions where legitimate users cannot process images, and system administrators may experience complete service interruption. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered through common image processing workflows and does not require specialized privileges or complex attack vectors.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-835, which describes infinite loops in software implementations where a loop condition never becomes false, causing the program to run indefinitely. Additionally, this flaw relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion. Organizations running vulnerable ImageMagick installations may experience cascading failures if the affected applications are part of larger processing pipelines or web services. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign image processing operations can become attack vectors when proper input validation and resource limiting mechanisms are not implemented.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-4985 primarily involve upgrading to ImageMagick version 6.3.5-9 or later, which contains patches specifically addressing the infinite loop conditions in both ReadDCMImage and ReadXCFImage functions. System administrators should also implement input validation measures, including file type checking, size limitations, and timeout mechanisms for image processing operations. Additional protective measures include deploying sandboxed environments for image processing tasks, implementing rate limiting for image upload operations, and establishing proper monitoring for unusual CPU and memory consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems to potential attackers.