CVE-2017-5506 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
Double free vulnerability in magick/profile.c in ImageMagick allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5506 represents a critical double free condition within the ImageMagick library's profile handling component located in magick/profile.c. This flaw manifests when the software processes specially crafted image files that contain malformed profile data, specifically targeting the memory management routines responsible for handling color profiles and other metadata embedded within image formats. The double free vulnerability occurs when the same memory block is freed twice during the processing of a maliciously constructed file, creating a potential exploitation vector for remote attackers who can manipulate the memory allocation patterns through crafted input.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the ImageMagick processing pipeline. When the library encounters a malformed profile within an image file, the memory cleanup functions execute multiple times on the same allocated memory segment, leading to a state where freed memory is accessed or reallocated in unexpected ways. This condition can result in memory corruption that may be leveraged to execute arbitrary code, cause denial of service, or potentially enable privilege escalation depending on the execution context. The vulnerability operates at the application level and does not require special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in web environments where ImageMagick is commonly used for image processing.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that process untrusted image files, particularly web applications, content management systems, and any service that accepts user-uploaded images for processing. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can trigger the vulnerability through web interfaces or file upload mechanisms without requiring physical access to the target system. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description reflects the potential for various outcomes including system crashes, memory corruption, or code execution depending on the specific environment and exploitation method used. Organizations running services that utilize ImageMagick for image handling are particularly vulnerable, especially those that do not implement proper input sanitization or file validation measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-5506 should prioritize immediate patching of affected ImageMagick installations to version 7.0.6-1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the double free condition. System administrators should also implement comprehensive input validation and file type checking mechanisms to prevent processing of potentially malicious files, particularly in web-facing applications. Network segmentation and application firewalls can help limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing sandboxing techniques or containerization for image processing services to contain any potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-415 which describes improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation, and may map to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution in the context of potential code execution resulting from memory corruption. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify and remediate similar memory management flaws in other software components within the attack surface.