CVE-2017-14684 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
In ImageMagick 7.0.7-4 Q16, a memory leak vulnerability was found in the function ReadVIPSImage in coders/vips.c, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption in ResizeMagickMemory in MagickCore/memory.c) via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14684 represents a critical memory leak issue within ImageMagick's processing pipeline, specifically affecting version 7.0.7-4 Q16. This flaw exists in the ReadVIPSImage function located within the coders/vips.c source file, demonstrating how improper memory management can create significant security risks in image processing libraries that handle diverse file formats. The vulnerability stems from insufficient memory deallocation mechanisms when processing specially crafted VIPS image files, creating a persistent memory consumption issue that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of memory allocation patterns during image file processing, particularly when ResizeMagickMemory function in MagickCore/memory.c is invoked repeatedly without proper cleanup of previously allocated resources. This memory leak manifests as gradual memory consumption that can eventually exhaust system resources, leading to denial of service conditions. The flaw operates at the intersection of input validation and memory management, where the application fails to properly handle malformed input data that triggers cascading memory allocation requests without corresponding deallocation operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for systems that rely on ImageMagick for image processing tasks, particularly web applications, content management systems, and digital asset management platforms. The memory consumption pattern typically begins slowly but can escalate rapidly when multiple malicious files are processed, potentially causing system instability or complete service unavailability. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by uploading or processing specially crafted VIPS image files that trigger the memory leak behavior, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users can upload arbitrary image files.
The impact of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which categorizes memory leaks as a fundamental weakness in software design that can lead to resource exhaustion and system instability. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability could be classified under ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service, as the memory consumption pattern directly impacts system availability. Organizations using ImageMagick in production environments face significant risk of service disruption, particularly when the library is exposed to untrusted input sources such as user uploads, external file processing, or automated image conversion services.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-14684 should prioritize immediate patching of affected ImageMagick installations to version 7.0.7-5 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Additionally, implementing input validation measures, file type restrictions, and resource monitoring can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. System administrators should consider deploying sandboxed processing environments and implementing memory limits for image processing tasks to contain potential impact. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar memory management issues in other image processing libraries and ensure comprehensive protection against similar exploitation vectors.