CVE-2018-10113 in GEGL
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in GEGL through 0.3.32. The process function in operations/external/ppm-load.c has unbounded memory allocation, leading to a denial of service (application crash) upon allocation failure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10113 represents a critical memory management flaw within the GEGL (Generic Graphics Library) framework version 0.3.32 and earlier. This issue manifests in the process function located within operations/external/ppm-load.c, where the library fails to implement proper bounds checking during memory allocation operations. The flaw enables an attacker to craft malicious input files that trigger unbounded memory allocation requests, ultimately resulting in system resource exhaustion and application instability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it operates at the core processing level of image handling operations, making it accessible through normal file processing workflows.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory allocation controls within the PPM (Portable Pixmap) file loading functionality. When GEGL processes a malicious PPM file, the process function attempts to allocate memory without proper size limitations or overflow checks. This unbounded allocation behavior directly violates established security principles and can be categorized under CWE-122, which addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions. The vulnerability operates by manipulating the dimensions specified in PPM file headers to request excessive memory allocations that exceed available system resources, causing the application to crash or become unresponsive.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for systems relying on GEGL for image processing tasks. Applications using GEGL as a backend for image manipulation, graphic design tools, or content management systems become susceptible to denial of service attacks. Attackers can exploit this weakness by uploading or processing specially crafted PPM files, leading to service disruption and potential system instability. The vulnerability affects not only individual application crashes but can also impact entire service availability, particularly in environments where GEGL is integrated into web applications or automated processing pipelines. The resource exhaustion nature of the flaw means that even a single malicious file can compromise system performance and availability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-10113 should prioritize immediate patching of affected GEGL versions to 0.3.33 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and memory allocation limits. System administrators should implement input validation controls at the application level, particularly for file processing workflows that utilize GEGL. Network-level defenses can include content filtering mechanisms that scan for potentially malicious PPM files before they reach processing systems. Additionally, implementing memory allocation limits and process isolation can help contain the impact if exploitation occurs. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers resource exhaustion attacks, and represents a classic example of how insufficient input validation can lead to denial of service conditions in multimedia processing libraries. Organizations should also consider implementing automated monitoring for unusual memory allocation patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.