CVE-2017-8343 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
In ImageMagick 7.0.5-5, the ReadAAIImage function in aai.c allows attackers to cause a denial of service (memory leak) via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8343 affects ImageMagick version 7.0.5-5 and specifically targets the ReadAAIImage function within the aai.c source file. This flaw represents a denial of service condition that manifests through memory leaks when processing specially crafted image files. The issue arises from insufficient input validation and memory management within the AAI (AutoCAD AAI) image format parser, which is commonly used for handling AutoCAD-related image data. When an attacker provides a maliciously constructed AAI file, the ReadAAIImage function fails to properly release allocated memory resources, leading to progressive memory consumption that can eventually exhaust system resources and render the application unavailable to legitimate users.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper management of memory allocation and deallocation in software systems. This memory leak occurs during the image parsing process where the application allocates memory for processing the AAI file structure but fails to correctly free that memory upon completion of the parsing operation. The flaw demonstrates characteristics of a resource exhaustion attack pattern where repeated processing of malicious files can gradually consume all available memory, causing the application to crash or become unresponsive. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because ImageMagick is widely deployed across various platforms and applications, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to disrupt services through resource exhaustion attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems that utilize ImageMagick for image processing, particularly in web applications, content management systems, and automated image handling workflows. The denial of service impact can affect availability of critical services, especially when the vulnerable application processes user-uploaded images without proper validation. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by uploading or providing access to malicious AAI files, which then trigger the memory leak during image processing operations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where ImageMagick is used as a backend service or in automated processing pipelines where multiple files are processed continuously, as the memory consumption can accumulate rapidly and cause system instability.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-8343 primarily involve upgrading to a patched version of ImageMagick where the memory management issues in the ReadAAIImage function have been resolved. Organizations should also implement input validation measures to filter out potentially malicious image files before processing, particularly when dealing with user-uploaded content. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing resource monitoring and limiting memory usage for ImageMagick processes to prevent complete system exhaustion. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper memory management practices in image processing libraries and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in input handling can lead to significant availability impacts. Security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments of image processing components and ensure that all third-party libraries are kept up to date with security patches to prevent exploitation of similar memory management flaws.