CVE-2017-14505 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
DrawGetStrokeDashArray in wand/drawing-wand.c in ImageMagick 7.0.7-1 mishandles certain NULL arrays, which allows attackers to perform Denial of Service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash in AcquireQuantumMemory within MagickCore/memory.c) by providing a crafted Image File as input.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14505 resides within ImageMagick's drawing functionality, specifically in the DrawGetStrokeDashArray function located in wand/drawing-wand.c. This flaw represents a critical null pointer dereference issue that can be exploited through maliciously crafted image files. The vulnerability affects ImageMagick version 7.0.7-1 and demonstrates how improper input validation can lead to application instability and potential denial of service conditions. The flaw occurs when the application processes certain stroke dash array parameters that contain NULL values, creating a scenario where the software attempts to dereference a null pointer during memory allocation operations.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves the application's handling of stroke dash arrays during image processing operations. When ImageMagick encounters a crafted image file containing malformed stroke dash array data, the DrawGetStrokeDashArray function fails to properly validate array pointers before attempting to process them. This leads to a NULL pointer dereference condition that ultimately triggers a crash within the AcquireQuantumMemory function found in MagickCore/memory.c. The memory allocation routine attempts to allocate quantum memory using invalid parameters, causing the application to terminate unexpectedly and resulting in a denial of service condition.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems that process untrusted image files through ImageMagick. The exploit requires minimal input crafting effort from attackers, making it particularly dangerous in web applications, file processing systems, or any environment where users can upload or submit image files. The denial of service impact extends beyond simple application crashes, potentially affecting system availability and resource consumption, especially when multiple malicious files are processed in sequence. This vulnerability can be leveraged in automated attack scenarios to exhaust system resources or cause cascading failures in applications that depend on ImageMagick for image processing tasks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference conditions, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 related to network denial of service attacks. Organizations using ImageMagick in production environments face potential exposure to this vulnerability, particularly in scenarios involving image processing pipelines, content management systems, or any application that accepts image uploads without proper validation. The flaw underscores the importance of input validation and proper error handling in multimedia processing libraries, where malformed input can trigger critical application failures. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to the affected ImageMagick version, implementing proper input sanitization measures, and deploying application-level restrictions on image file processing to prevent exploitation.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability as part of broader application security assessments, particularly focusing on libraries that handle multimedia file processing. The attack surface extends to any system that integrates ImageMagick functionality, including web applications, server-side image processing services, and automated content management workflows. Regular vulnerability scanning and dependency updates become critical defensive measures against such flaws, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely through web interfaces or file upload mechanisms without requiring specialized privileges or complex attack chains.