CVE-2017-9166 in AutoTrace
Summary
by MITRE
libautotrace.a in AutoTrace 0.31.1 has a heap-based buffer over-read in the GET_COLOR function in color.c:18:11.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9166 resides within the AutoTrace 0.31.1 library autotrace.a, specifically within the GET_COLOR function located in the color.c file at line 18. This issue represents a heap-based buffer over-read that occurs when processing image color data during the automatic tracing process. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking in the color handling mechanism, allowing an attacker to potentially read memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. Such a flaw can manifest when the application processes malformed input files or encounters unexpected color data structures during the vectorization process.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves triggering the GET_COLOR function with specially crafted input that causes the application to access memory locations beyond the intended buffer limits. This over-read condition can lead to information disclosure, as sensitive data from adjacent memory regions may be exposed to the attacker. The heap-based nature of the vulnerability indicates that the memory corruption occurs within the heap allocation space, making it particularly challenging to predict and exploit consistently. The specific location at color.c line 18 suggests that the issue involves color value extraction or manipulation operations where array bounds are not properly validated before memory access.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability can severely compromise the security posture of systems relying on AutoTrace for image processing tasks. The over-read condition may allow attackers to extract confidential information from memory segments, potentially including cryptographic keys, user credentials, or application state data. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the color processing pipeline, which could lead to incorrect image rendering or provide attackers with additional attack surface through information leakage. Systems that process untrusted image files through AutoTrace are particularly at risk, as the vulnerability can be triggered through malicious input files without requiring user interaction.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and bounds checking within the GET_COLOR function. The recommended approach involves adding comprehensive bounds verification before any memory access operations in the color.c file, ensuring that array indices remain within valid ranges. Additionally, upgrading to a patched version of AutoTrace that addresses this specific heap over-read issue represents the most effective long-term solution. Security practitioners should also consider implementing memory safety checks and using modern compiler security features such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization to reduce the exploitability of such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and could potentially map to ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through command-line interfaces that might be exploited to trigger the vulnerable code path.