CVE-2017-12565 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
In ImageMagick 7.0.6-2, a memory leak vulnerability was found in the function ReadOneJNGImage in coders/png.c, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-12565 represents a critical memory leak flaw within ImageMagick's handling of JNG (JPEG Network Graphics) image files. This issue specifically affects ImageMagick version 7.0.6-2 and manifests within the ReadOneJNGImage function located in the coders/png.c source file. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit memory allocation patterns during image processing, potentially leading to system resource exhaustion and subsequent denial of service conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the JNG image parsing routine. When ImageMagick processes malformed or specially crafted JNG files, the ReadOneJNGImage function fails to properly release allocated memory blocks, resulting in progressive memory consumption over time. This memory leak occurs during the decompression and rendering phases of JNG image processing, where the software allocates memory for various image components including color tables, compression buffers, and metadata structures. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-401 as a failure to release memory resources, which directly aligns with the characteristics of memory leak vulnerabilities in image processing libraries.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-12565 extends beyond simple resource exhaustion, as it can be leveraged in various attack scenarios including remote code execution attempts and system instability. When exploited, the memory leak can cause applications using ImageMagick to consume increasing amounts of system memory until the host system becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in web applications and services that process user-uploaded images, as attackers can systematically degrade service availability through repeated exploitation. The vulnerability is categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion attacks and can be classified as a denial of service vector within the broader attack framework.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of ImageMagick installations to versions that address the memory leak in the JNG processing code. System administrators should implement input validation and file type restrictions to prevent processing of potentially malicious JNG files, particularly in web-facing applications. The recommended approach includes deploying the latest ImageMagick releases that contain memory management fixes, implementing proper resource monitoring to detect abnormal memory usage patterns, and configuring application sandboxes to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing automated scanning for vulnerable image formats and establishing incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in multimedia processing libraries and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of image handling components.