CVE-2017-11449 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
coders/mpc.c in ImageMagick before 7.0.6-1 does not enable seekable streams and thus cannot validate blob sizes, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via an image received from stdin.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2022
CVE-2017-11449 represents a critical vulnerability in ImageMagick's handling of image data streams that fundamentally undermines the software's ability to process potentially malicious input safely. This vulnerability exists within the coders/mpc.c file and affects versions prior to 7.0.6-1, creating a significant security risk for any system that processes user-supplied image data. The flaw stems from the software's failure to properly validate blob sizes when processing streams, particularly those received through standard input streams, which creates an exploitable condition that remote attackers can leverage for various malicious purposes.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in ImageMagick's improper stream handling mechanism that fails to establish seekable stream capabilities during image processing operations. When the software receives image data through stdin, it cannot reliably validate the size of the incoming data blob, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted input can cause the application to behave unpredictably. This lack of proper stream validation enables attackers to craft specially formatted image data that, when processed by the vulnerable ImageMagick version, can trigger memory corruption or other critical failures. The vulnerability specifically affects the MagickCore library's image processing capabilities and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in input validation and stream handling that falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, which deals with improper validation of array indices and buffer overflows.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11449 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution or complete system compromise. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to cause application crashes through carefully crafted input that exceeds expected buffer boundaries, leading to denial of service attacks that can disrupt critical services. The unspecified other impacts referenced in the vulnerability description suggest that under certain conditions, this flaw could potentially enable privilege escalation or code execution, making it particularly dangerous in environments where ImageMagick is used to process untrusted image data. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code through legitimate software channels.
Organizations and security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including updating to ImageMagick version 7.0.6-1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly handle seekable streams and validate blob sizes. Additional protective measures include implementing strict input validation for all image processing operations, configuring network firewalls to restrict access to image processing services, and deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper stream handling and input validation in security-critical applications, particularly those that process untrusted data from external sources. System administrators should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms and privilege separation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability could potentially be leveraged in broader attack chains that target other system components.