CVE-2014-9771 in imlib2
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in imlib2 before 1.4.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption or application crash) via a crafted image, which triggers an invalid read operation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9771 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the imlib2 library version 1.4.6 and earlier, which has significant implications for software systems relying on this image processing component. This vulnerability resides in the library's handling of image data structures where improper integer arithmetic can lead to unexpected behavior during image parsing operations. The imlib2 library serves as a fundamental image loading and saving library used across numerous applications and operating systems, making this flaw particularly dangerous as it can affect a wide range of software ecosystems. The vulnerability specifically manifests when processing malformed image files that contain crafted integer values designed to trigger the overflow condition.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of integer values during image processing operations where the library fails to properly validate or handle arithmetic operations that exceed the maximum representable value for the integer type being used. When an attacker crafts a malicious image file with specifically calculated dimensions or metadata values, the imlib2 library's internal calculations can overflow, resulting in invalid memory access patterns. This overflow condition typically occurs during the parsing of image headers or metadata sections where dimension values or buffer sizes are processed. The integer overflow leads to either memory corruption that causes application crashes or excessive memory consumption patterns that can be exploited for denial of service attacks. The flaw operates at the boundary conditions of integer arithmetic where the library does not properly check for overflow scenarios before performing operations that could result in negative or excessively large values.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-9771 extends beyond simple application crashes to encompass broader system stability and availability concerns. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to consume excessive system resources or cause applications to terminate unexpectedly, effectively creating a denial of service condition. The vulnerability affects not only the applications directly using imlib2 but also systems where imlib2 is a dependency, including desktop environments, web applications, image processing services, and embedded systems that rely on this library for image handling. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by uploading or delivering malicious image files to systems that process such content, making it particularly dangerous in web-facing applications or file upload scenarios. The memory consumption aspect of this vulnerability can lead to resource exhaustion attacks where systems become unresponsive due to continuous memory allocation attempts, while the crash condition can be used to repeatedly disrupt service availability.
Security mitigations for CVE-2014-9771 primarily involve upgrading to imlib2 version 1.4.7 or later, which includes proper integer overflow checks and validation mechanisms. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all affected systems receive the necessary updates promptly. Additionally, input validation should be implemented at application layers that use imlib2 to further reduce the attack surface by sanitizing image file inputs before processing. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper integer handling that can lead to memory corruption. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would be categorized under the attack technique of resource exhaustion or application crash, potentially falling under ATT&CK technique T1499 for network denial of service. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and file validation controls to prevent the delivery of malicious image files to systems that process user uploads, particularly in web applications where this vulnerability can be exploited through file upload mechanisms. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the updated library versions to ensure that the fix does not introduce compatibility issues with existing applications while maintaining the security improvements necessary to prevent exploitation of this integer overflow condition.