CVE-2014-9850 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
Logic error in ImageMagick 6.8.9.9 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9850 represents a critical logic error within ImageMagick version 6.8.9.9 that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through resource consumption. This flaw exists in the image processing library's handling of malformed image files, specifically when processing certain image formats that trigger infinite loops or excessive memory allocation during parsing operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling mechanisms within the software's image processing pipeline, where malformed image data can cause the application to consume excessive system resources without proper termination or resource limits.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of image file structures that cause ImageMagick to enter recursive processing loops or allocate memory in a manner that grows exponentially with the size of the input data. When the software encounters specially crafted image files containing malformed headers or corrupted data structures, it fails to properly validate the input and instead proceeds with processing that consumes CPU cycles and memory resources at an unsustainable rate. This behavior manifests as a gradual exhaustion of system resources including memory, CPU time, and potentially disk space, ultimately leading to system instability or complete service unavailability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that rely on ImageMagick for image processing, particularly web applications, content management systems, and file upload services. Attackers can exploit this weakness by uploading maliciously crafted image files to web applications that use ImageMagick for image handling, resulting in denial of service conditions that can affect legitimate users and potentially compromise system availability. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where automated image processing occurs, as the attack can be executed silently in the background without requiring user interaction or specialized knowledge of the target system. The resource consumption pattern can be designed to target specific system resources such as memory allocation or CPU processing time, making it difficult to distinguish from legitimate high-volume image processing operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation, resource limiting mechanisms, and proper error handling within applications that utilize ImageMagick. System administrators should ensure that all affected versions of ImageMagick are updated to patched releases that address the logic error through improved input validation and resource management. Additionally, implementing rate limiting, file size restrictions, and content type validation on file upload endpoints can help prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-770, which addresses allocation of resources without limits or with inadequate limits, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms or containerization for image processing operations to isolate potential impacts and prevent complete system compromise. Network-level monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other image processing libraries and applications.