CVE-2018-11416 in jpegoptim
Summary
by MITRE
jpegoptim.c in jpegoptim 1.4.5 (fixed in 1.4.6) has an invalid use of realloc() and free(), which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11416 affects jpegoptim version 1.4.5 and represents a critical memory management flaw that can be exploited remotely to cause application instability or potentially more severe consequences. This issue resides within the jpegoptim.c source file, which is part of the jpegoptim utility designed for optimizing jpeg image files through lossless compression techniques. The vulnerability manifests through improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation operations that can lead to unpredictable application behavior when processing specially crafted jpeg files.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from an invalid usage pattern involving the realloc() and free() memory management functions within the jpegoptim application. When the utility processes jpeg files, it attempts to reallocate memory blocks that have already been freed or improperly managed, creating a scenario where the application's memory management state becomes corrupted. This improper handling can result in heap corruption, which typically manifests as application crashes during normal operation or when processing malicious input files. The flaw specifically occurs in how the software manages memory blocks during the optimization process, particularly when dealing with edge cases in jpeg file structures or malformed image data that triggers the problematic realloc/free sequence.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the improper memory management can potentially lead to more serious consequences including arbitrary code execution or information disclosure depending on the execution environment. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious jpeg files that, when processed by the vulnerable jpegoptim utility, trigger the memory corruption conditions. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where the utility is used to process untrusted image files, such as web applications, content management systems, or automated image processing pipelines. The vulnerability affects both local and remote attack scenarios since any system running the affected version of jpegoptim could be compromised when processing malicious input files.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-415 which describes improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation operations leading to double free or use after free conditions. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage, as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious commands through compromised systems. Organizations should immediately upgrade to jpegoptim version 1.4.6 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the fix addresses the specific memory management issues in the jpegoptim.c file. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation and sanitization measures when processing jpeg files, and consider running the utility in restricted environments with appropriate access controls to limit potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in security-critical applications and highlights the need for thorough code review and testing of memory allocation patterns in utility software that processes user-supplied data.