CVE-2015-8901 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
ImageMagick 6.x before 6.9.0-5 Beta allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a crafted MIFF file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8901 affects ImageMagick version 6.x prior to 6.9.0-5 Beta, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely through maliciously crafted MIFF image files. This vulnerability resides within the image processing library's handling of Multi-Channel Image Format files, which are commonly used for storing multi-channel image data in scientific and medical imaging applications. The flaw manifests as an infinite loop during the parsing process when ImageMagick encounters specially crafted MIFF files that contain malformed or recursive data structures, causing the application to consume excessive CPU resources and potentially crash or become unresponsive.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate boundary checking within ImageMagick's MIFF file parser implementation. When processing a malformed MIFF file, the software enters into an infinite loop during the decompression or parsing phase, specifically when handling recursive data structures or improperly formatted channel definitions. This behavior aligns with CWE-835, which describes the weakness of infinite loops or infinite recursion in software systems. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through any application that utilizes ImageMagick for image processing, including web applications, content management systems, and image processing services that accept user-uploaded files.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-8901 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform denial of service attacks against systems running vulnerable versions of ImageMagick, causing legitimate services to become unavailable to users. The infinite loop behavior consumes system resources continuously, potentially leading to system instability, performance degradation, or complete system crashes in resource-constrained environments. This vulnerability affects a wide range of applications including web servers, image processing pipelines, and automated image analysis systems that rely on ImageMagick for their functionality. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1595.001, which involves reconnaissance through scanning and enumeration activities that could be used to identify vulnerable systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-8901 primarily involve updating ImageMagick to version 6.9.0-5 Beta or later, which includes patches that properly validate MIFF file structures and prevent infinite loop conditions during parsing. Organizations should also implement input validation controls at the application level, particularly when processing user-uploaded images, by implementing file type checks, size limits, and sandboxed processing environments. Network-level protections can include implementing rate limiting and monitoring for unusual CPU consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can detect the presence of vulnerable ImageMagick versions in their infrastructure and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from affecting other components of their image processing pipelines.