CVE-2009-0581 in GIMP
Summary
by MITRE
Memory leak in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK, and GIMP, allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted image file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0581 represents a critical memory leak flaw within LittleCMS, a widely deployed color management library that serves as a foundational component for numerous applications across the software ecosystem. This memory leak affects LittleCMS versions prior to 1.18beta2 and has been specifically implicated in compromising the stability of Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK implementations, and the popular image editing software GIMP. The flaw manifests when the library processes specially crafted image files that exploit improper memory management during color profile handling, creating a condition where allocated memory is not properly released back to the system. The vulnerability operates within a context-dependent attack model where malicious actors must craft specific image files that trigger the memory allocation path in LittleCMS, leading to progressive memory consumption that eventually exhausts available system resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate memory deallocation routines within the color management processing pipeline of LittleCMS. When the library encounters malformed or specially constructed image metadata, particularly within color profile sections, it fails to properly execute cleanup operations for allocated memory blocks. This memory leak pattern aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper memory management issues, and demonstrates a classic example of resource exhaustion through uncontrolled memory allocation. The flaw operates at the intersection of image processing and memory management, where the library's color transformation algorithms do not properly handle error conditions or malformed input data, causing memory allocation without corresponding deallocation. The attack vector requires the target application to process a crafted image file through LittleCMS, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in applications that handle untrusted image data from external sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it can lead to complete application crashes and system instability in environments where these affected applications are deployed. When exploited, the memory leak causes progressive consumption of available system memory, eventually leading to application crashes or system resource exhaustion that can affect overall system performance. In Firefox 3.1beta, this vulnerability could be exploited through malicious image files loaded in web pages, potentially leading to browser instability or complete crashes during image processing operations. For OpenJDK implementations, the vulnerability could compromise Java applications that utilize color management features, while GIMP users could experience crashes when opening maliciously crafted image files. The vulnerability's presence in multiple widely-used applications creates a significant attack surface that can be leveraged across various threat scenarios, including web-based attacks and file-based exploitation.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of affected LittleCMS installations to version 1.18beta2 or later, which includes proper memory deallocation routines and input validation mechanisms. System administrators should prioritize updating all affected applications that rely on LittleCMS, including Firefox, OpenJDK, and GIMP, to ensure the memory leak protection is properly implemented. Organizations should also implement defensive measures such as input validation for image files and sandboxing techniques to limit the impact of potential exploitation attempts. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in critical system libraries and highlights the need for thorough testing of third-party components, particularly those handling untrusted data inputs. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, as it allows attackers to consume system resources and potentially disrupt normal application operations through carefully crafted input data that exploits memory management flaws in the underlying color management system.