CVE-2014-9839 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
magick/colormap-private.h in ImageMagick 6.8.9-9 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds access).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9839 resides within the ImageMagick image processing library, specifically in the magick/colormap-private.h header file. This flaw represents a classic out-of-bounds memory access condition that can be exploited by remote attackers to trigger a denial of service scenario. The vulnerability manifests when ImageMagick processes certain malformed image files, particularly those with crafted colormap data that exceeds expected boundaries. Such conditions can occur during the parsing of various image formats including but not limited to gif, png, and tiff files that contain malformed colormap specifications.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking within the colormap processing routines of ImageMagick's core libraries. When the software attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries for colormap data, it results in memory access violations that typically lead to application crashes or system instability. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, which specifically addresses issues related to insufficient bounds checking of array data. The flaw represents a fundamental security issue in memory management practices where the software fails to validate the size and boundaries of data structures before processing them.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that utilize ImageMagick for image processing tasks, particularly those exposed to untrusted input from external sources. Web applications, content management systems, and file upload services that rely on ImageMagick for image validation and processing are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. The denial of service condition can be triggered by sending a specially crafted image file to any application that uses ImageMagick for image handling, potentially leading to system resource exhaustion or complete application failure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9839 primarily involve upgrading to patched versions of ImageMagick where bounds checking has been properly implemented and validated. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as input validation, file type restrictions, and sandboxed processing environments to limit the impact of potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems using affected versions of ImageMagick and implement proper monitoring for suspicious file processing activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and memory safety practices in security-critical software components, particularly those handling untrusted data from external sources.