CVE-2016-10095 in LibTIFF
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in the _TIFFVGetField function in tif_dir.c in LibTIFF 4.0.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted TIFF file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10095 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow within the LibTIFF library version 4.0.7, specifically within the _TIFFVGetField function located in the tif_dir.c source file. This flaw demonstrates a classic software security weakness where insufficient input validation allows malicious data to overwrite adjacent memory locations on the program stack. The vulnerability occurs when processing specially crafted TIFF image files that contain malformed directory entries, enabling attackers to manipulate the function's stack frame through improper handling of variable-length field data structures.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the inherent design flaw in how LibTIFF processes TIFF directory structures during field retrieval operations. When the _TIFFVGetField function encounters malformed input data, it fails to properly validate the size and bounds of incoming field values, leading to uncontrolled memory overwrites that can corrupt the stack frame and potentially overwrite return addresses or other critical execution metadata. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, which is classified as a fundamental memory safety issue that has been consistently identified as a primary attack vector in software security assessments.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for systems that process TIFF image files, particularly those in server environments or applications that accept user-uploaded content. Remote attackers can craft malicious TIFF files that, when processed by vulnerable applications, will cause the target application to crash or terminate unexpectedly, resulting in denial of service conditions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because TIFF files are commonly used in professional imaging workflows, document management systems, and web applications, making the attack surface quite broad. The crash behavior typically manifests as immediate application termination without proper error handling, which can be exploited in distributed denial of service scenarios or to disrupt critical imaging services.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage software flaws to execute malicious code or cause system instability. The remediation approach focuses on immediate patching of affected LibTIFF versions to 4.0.8 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and input validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation for all TIFF file processing workflows, consider sandboxing file processing operations, and deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious file upload patterns. Additionally, application-level defenses should include stack protection mechanisms and address space layout randomization to mitigate potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that no other similar buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist within the imaging pipeline.