CVE-2017-11528 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
The ReadDIBImage function in coders/dib.c in ImageMagick before 6.9.9-0 and 7.x before 7.0.6-1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory leak) via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11528 represents a critical memory management flaw within ImageMagick's image processing library, specifically affecting the ReadDIBImage function located in coders/dib.c. This issue manifests as a memory leak condition that can be exploited by remote attackers through the careful crafting of malicious image files. The vulnerability impacts both the legacy 6.x series and the newer 7.x series of ImageMagick, with affected versions prior to 6.9.9-0 and 7.0.6-1 respectively. The flaw occurs during the processing of Device Independent Bitmap (DIB) image formats, which are commonly used in windows bitmap files and other image formats that rely on this encoding method.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation within the ReadDIBImage function. When ImageMagick processes a specially crafted DIB file, the function fails to properly release allocated memory resources, leading to progressive memory consumption that can eventually exhaust system resources. This memory leak behavior is particularly dangerous in server environments where ImageMagick is used to process user-uploaded content, as it allows attackers to perform sustained resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which categorizes memory leaks as a common weakness in software systems, and represents a classic example of insufficient resource management in image processing libraries.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11528 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially compromise entire systems through resource exhaustion attacks. In web applications that utilize ImageMagick for image processing, an attacker could repeatedly upload or request processing of maliciously crafted DIB files, causing progressive memory consumption that may lead to application crashes, system instability, or complete service unavailability. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where ImageMagick is used as a backend image processing service, as it can be leveraged to perform distributed denial of service attacks against web applications and services that depend on the library. The attack vector is remote and requires no authentication, making it easily exploitable through web interfaces or file upload mechanisms that process image content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected ImageMagick installations to versions 6.9.9-0 and 7.0.6-1 or later, which contain the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should also implement input validation measures to filter or reject suspicious image files before processing, particularly those with unusual or malformed DIB headers. Network-level protections such as rate limiting and content inspection can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while monitoring systems should be configured to alert on unusual memory consumption patterns in applications using ImageMagick. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1499.001 for network denial of service and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution highlights the need for comprehensive defensive measures. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege for ImageMagick processes and using sandboxing techniques can limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while regular security audits of image processing pipelines should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the system.