CVE-2016-10052 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the WriteProfile function in coders/jpeg.c in ImageMagick before 6.9.5-6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or other unspecified impact via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/14/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10052 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within ImageMagick's JPEG coder implementation, specifically affecting the WriteProfile function in the coders/jpeg.c source file. This issue impacts ImageMagick versions prior to 6.9.5-6, creating a significant security risk for systems that process user-uploaded or externally sourced image files. The buffer overflow occurs during the handling of profile data within JPEG image files, where insufficient bounds checking allows maliciously crafted input to overwrite adjacent memory regions. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in web applications and content management systems where ImageMagick is commonly employed for image processing and transformation tasks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to write beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw manifests when the WriteProfile function processes crafted JPEG files containing malformed profile data that exceeds the allocated buffer space. This overflow can result in memory corruption that leads to application crashes, making the system unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the condition through network-based file uploads or processing of externally sourced images without requiring local access or authentication. The potential impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include arbitrary code execution in certain scenarios, as memory corruption can be leveraged to manipulate program execution flow.
Organizations utilizing ImageMagick for image processing workflows face significant operational risks from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where untrusted image files are processed. The vulnerability affects web applications, file upload systems, and content management platforms that rely on ImageMagick for image manipulation services. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious JPEG files that, when processed by vulnerable ImageMagick installations, cause the application to crash or potentially execute unintended code. The remote nature of the exploit means that adversaries can target systems from anywhere on the network, making this vulnerability particularly attractive for widespread attacks. Systems that automatically process or convert user-uploaded images are especially at risk, as the vulnerability can be triggered without user interaction through automated image processing pipelines.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrading to ImageMagick version 6.9.5-6 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the buffer overflow condition. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation and sanitization of image files before processing, limiting the execution privileges of ImageMagick processes, and employing network segmentation to isolate image processing services. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and implement intrusion detection systems that can identify patterns associated with JPEG file processing attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software libraries and implementing proper input validation controls, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's defense in depth principles. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to limit the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in other system components. Regular security assessments and penetration testing of image processing workflows can help identify additional attack vectors and ensure that defensive measures remain effective against evolving threats.