CVE-2016-8866 in GraphicsMagick
Summary
by MITRE
The AcquireMagickMemory function in MagickCore/memory.c in GraphicsMagick 7.0.3.3 before 7.0.3.8 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted image, which triggers a memory allocation failure. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-8862.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8866 represents a memory management flaw within GraphicsMagick's MagickCore library that emerged from an incomplete remediation of a previous vulnerability. This issue affects GraphicsMagick versions prior to 7.0.3.8, specifically targeting the AcquireMagickMemory function located in MagickCore/memory.c. The flaw manifests when processing specially crafted image files that cause the memory allocation mechanism to fail, potentially leading to various security consequences including denial of service or arbitrary code execution depending on the specific implementation details and attack vectors employed.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory allocation requests within the image processing pipeline. When GraphicsMagick encounters a maliciously constructed image file, the AcquireMagickMemory function fails to properly manage the allocation process, resulting in a memory allocation failure that can be exploited by remote attackers. This represents a classic memory safety issue that falls under the CWE-122 category of "Heap-based Buffer Overflow" or related heap corruption vulnerabilities, where improper memory management creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate system resources. The incomplete fix for CVE-2016-8862 appears to have left residual vulnerabilities in the memory handling code paths, creating a situation where the system's defensive mechanisms were insufficient to prevent all potential attack vectors.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that process untrusted image files, particularly those running GraphicsMagick versions vulnerable to this flaw. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability remotely by crafting malicious image files that, when processed by the affected software, trigger the memory allocation failure. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the consequences could range from denial of service conditions where the application crashes or becomes unresponsive to more severe scenarios involving potential code execution or privilege escalation. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that systems processing images from untrusted sources, such as web applications, content management systems, or image processing services, could be compromised without requiring local access or authentication.
The security implications extend beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as memory allocation failures in image processing libraries can often be leveraged to create more sophisticated attack vectors. According to ATT&CK framework considerations, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving resource exhaustion and memory corruption attacks, potentially enabling adversaries to perform privilege escalation or execute arbitrary code within the context of the affected application. Organizations utilizing GraphicsMagick for image processing should consider the potential for this vulnerability to be combined with other exploits or used as a foothold for more comprehensive attacks. The vulnerability's presence in the memory management layer means that even legitimate image processing operations could be disrupted or exploited, making it particularly dangerous in environments where image handling is a core application function.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-8866 primarily focus on upgrading to GraphicsMagick version 7.0.3.8 or later, which contains the complete fix for both this vulnerability and its predecessor CVE-2016-8862. System administrators should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation for all image files processed by GraphicsMagick applications, sandboxing of image processing operations, and monitoring for unusual memory allocation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable versions and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of systems that process untrusted image content, while regular security audits should monitor for similar memory management issues that might exist in other image processing libraries or components within the system infrastructure.