CVE-2017-13749 in Jasper
Summary
by MITRE
There is a reachable assertion abort in the function jpc_pi_nextrpcl() in jpc/jpc_t2cod.c in JasPer 2.0.12 that will lead to a remote denial of service attack.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13749 represents a critical remote denial of service flaw within the JasPer 2.0.12 image processing library. This issue manifests as a reachable assertion abort within the jpc_pi_nextrpcl() function located in the jpc/jpc_t2cod.c source file. The JasPer library serves as a comprehensive toolkit for handling JPEG 2000 image format operations and is widely integrated into various applications and systems that process image data. When exploited, this vulnerability allows remote attackers to trigger a program termination through a malformed input that causes the assertion to fail, thereby disrupting service availability for legitimate users.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the JPEG 2000 decoding process. Specifically, the jpc_pi_nextrpcl() function fails to properly handle certain edge cases or malformed data structures that could occur during the parsing of JPEG 2000 packet information. This function operates within the context of the T2 coding stage, which is responsible for processing the packet data structures in JPEG 2000 format. The assertion failure occurs when the function encounters unexpected data patterns that violate internal assumptions about the packet information structure, causing the program to terminate abruptly rather than gracefully handling the error condition. This behavior aligns with CWE-617, which describes reachable assertions that can be triggered through input manipulation to cause program termination.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or specialized privileges. Attackers can craft malicious JPEG 2000 files or stream data that, when processed by vulnerable applications using JasPer 2.0.12, will trigger the assertion abort and cause the target application to crash. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in web applications, image processing services, or any system that accepts user-provided image files. The remote nature of the attack means that systems are vulnerable regardless of network proximity, making it a significant concern for organizations that rely on JasPer for image processing operations. The vulnerability can be classified under the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks that target application availability.
Organizations utilizing JasPer 2.0.12 should prioritize immediate mitigation through version upgrades to JasPer 2.0.13 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this assertion failure. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation and error handling within the affected function to prevent the assertion from being triggered by malformed data. Additionally, deploying network-level mitigations such as input filtering and validation at the perimeter can provide temporary protection while awaiting official patches. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the crash behavior may generate specific log patterns that can be used for threat detection. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust error handling in cryptographic and image processing libraries, where malformed input can lead to complete service disruption rather than just data corruption or access control issues.