CVE-2017-9127 in libquicktime
Summary
by MITRE
The quicktime_user_atoms_read_atom function in useratoms.c in libquicktime 1.2.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow and application crash) via a crafted mp4 file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9127 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow in the libquicktime library version 1.2.4, specifically within the quicktime_user_atoms_read_atom function located in the useratoms.c source file. This flaw manifests when processing crafted mp4 media files, creating a remote attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt system operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices during the parsing of user-defined atoms within mp4 container format files, where the application fails to properly bounds-check data read from the atom structure before copying it into allocated heap memory buffers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of mp4 file structures to trigger a buffer overflow condition that results in heap corruption. When the quicktime_user_atoms_read_atom function processes a specially crafted mp4 file, it reads atom data without sufficient validation of the data length against the allocated buffer space. This allows an attacker to write beyond the boundaries of the allocated heap memory, potentially causing memory corruption that leads to application instability and eventual crash. The heap-based nature of the overflow means that the corruption affects the program's dynamic memory allocation structures, making the exploitation particularly effective for denial of service attacks and potentially more severe exploits if combined with other vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-9127 extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader system reliability concerns for applications and systems that depend on libquicktime for multimedia processing. Systems utilizing this library for video playback, media processing, or content management can experience unexpected application crashes when encountering maliciously crafted mp4 files, leading to service unavailability and potential data processing interruptions. This vulnerability particularly affects multimedia applications, web browsers, media players, and content management systems that process user-uploaded or externally sourced mp4 files without proper sanitization. The remote exploitability of this vulnerability means that attackers can trigger the denial of service condition without requiring local system access, making it a significant concern for web-facing applications and services.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected libquicktime installations to version 1.2.5 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the buffer overflow condition. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures for mp4 file processing, including strict bounds checking and size validation before memory allocation. The mitigation strategy should also incorporate network-level protections such as content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms that isolate media processing components to prevent exploitation from affecting core system operations. Additionally, implementing proper memory safety practices including stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and heap integrity checks can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and represents a common pattern that appears in multimedia processing libraries where insufficient input validation leads to memory corruption. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a denial of service attack using memory corruption techniques, typically falling under the execution and privilege escalation domains when considering potential exploitation beyond simple service disruption.