CVE-2012-1610 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in the GetEXIFProperty function in magick/property.c in ImageMagick before 6.7.6-4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via a large component count for certain EXIF tags in a JPEG image. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2012-0259.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1610 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within ImageMagick's EXIF property handling mechanism, specifically in the GetEXIFProperty function located in magick/property.c. This issue affects ImageMagick versions prior to 6.7.6-4 and demonstrates how remediation efforts for one vulnerability can inadvertently create new attack surfaces. The flaw manifests when processing JPEG images containing specially crafted EXIF metadata with excessively large component counts for specific EXIF tags, creating a scenario where integer arithmetic operations exceed their maximum representable values.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and arithmetic handling within the EXIF parsing logic. When ImageMagick encounters a JPEG image with an oversized component count in certain EXIF tags, the integer overflow causes the system to allocate insufficient memory or access invalid memory regions during property extraction. This results in out-of-bounds read conditions that can trigger segmentation faults or other memory access violations, ultimately leading to denial of service conditions. The vulnerability is particularly insidious because it leverages legitimate EXIF metadata parsing functionality while exploiting the mathematical properties of integer arithmetic to create exploitable conditions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for systems that process untrusted image files, particularly web applications, content management systems, and file upload services that utilize ImageMagick for image manipulation. Remote attackers can craft malicious JPEG images with malformed EXIF data that, when processed by vulnerable systems, will cause service disruption and potentially system instability. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the vulnerability can be chained with other exploits or used to create more sophisticated attack vectors within larger security frameworks. The incomplete fix for CVE-2012-0259 specifically introduced this regression, highlighting the complexity of vulnerability remediation and the potential for introducing new flaws during security patches.
Organizations using ImageMagick should prioritize immediate patching to version 6.7.6-4 or later, as this vulnerability directly impacts the core functionality of image processing within numerous applications. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive input validation for all image file processing pipelines, implementing strict file format checking, and deploying additional layers of protection such as sandboxing or containerization for image handling components. From a security standards perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, when leveraged in web-based attack scenarios. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of thorough regression testing in security patches and the need for comprehensive security auditing of mathematical operations within image processing libraries.