CVE-2016-6520 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in MagickCore/enhance.c in ImageMagick before 7.0.2-7 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via vectors related to pixel cache morphology.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6520 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within ImageMagick's MagickCore component, specifically in the enhance.c file. This issue affects versions prior to 7.0.2-7 and demonstrates a significant security weakness that can be exploited remotely by attackers. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of pixel cache morphology operations, where insufficient bounds checking allows malicious input to overwrite adjacent memory regions. Such buffer overflow conditions create opportunities for arbitrary code execution, system compromise, or denial of service scenarios that can severely impact the integrity and availability of systems processing image files.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of pixel cache operations during image enhancement processes. When ImageMagick processes certain image formats with malformed or specially crafted pixel data, the code fails to validate the size or boundaries of allocated memory buffers. This deficiency allows attackers to supply input data that exceeds the allocated buffer space, causing memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute malicious code. The vulnerability operates at the core level of image processing, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered during routine image manipulation tasks such as resizing, filtering, or enhancement operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations relying on ImageMagick for image processing workflows. Attackers can exploit this flaw remotely through web applications, email systems, or any service that processes user-uploaded images. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the consequences can vary widely from simple denial of service to complete system compromise, depending on the execution environment and attack vector used. Systems that process untrusted image files from external sources are particularly vulnerable, including web applications, content management systems, and file upload services that utilize ImageMagick for image handling.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through command injection. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to mitigate this risk, as the vulnerability can be exploited without user interaction and can lead to complete system compromise. Recommended mitigations include implementing strict input validation, deploying web application firewalls, and utilizing sandboxing techniques to isolate image processing operations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious image processing activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of vulnerable ImageMagick versions within the organization's infrastructure.