CVE-2018-25010 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/21/2021
A flaw was found in libwebp in versions before 1.0.1. An out-of-bounds read was found in function ApplyFilter. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and to the service availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-25010 represents a critical out-of-bounds read flaw in the libwebp library version 1.0.0 and earlier, affecting the widely used WebP image format processing functionality. This vulnerability resides within the ApplyFilter function, which is responsible for applying various filtering operations during image decoding processes. The flaw occurs when the library processes malformed WebP images that contain crafted data structures, leading to memory access violations that can potentially expose sensitive information or cause system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking within the ApplyFilter function, where the library fails to validate array indices before accessing memory locations. According to CWE-129, this corresponds to an implementation weakness where insufficient validation of the length or index of a buffer leads to out-of-bounds memory access. The flaw manifests when the WebP decoder encounters specially crafted image data that triggers the function to access memory regions beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, creating potential information disclosure pathways and service disruption scenarios.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to data confidentiality and service availability across systems that utilize libwebp for image processing. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious WebP files that, when processed by vulnerable applications, trigger the out-of-bounds read condition. This can result in information leakage from adjacent memory regions, potentially exposing sensitive data such as cryptographic keys, user credentials, or application state information. The service availability impact occurs when the out-of-bounds read causes application crashes or system instability, leading to denial of service conditions that can affect web servers, image processing applications, or any software that relies on libwebp for image handling.
The exploitation of CVE-2018-25010 aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, where adversaries may leverage code execution vulnerabilities in image processing libraries to gain unauthorized access or cause system disruption. The vulnerability affects a broad range of applications including web browsers, image viewers, content management systems, and server applications that process user-uploaded WebP images. Systems using libwebp versions prior to 1.0.1 are particularly vulnerable, making this a widespread concern for organizations maintaining legacy software components. The threat model indicates that this vulnerability can be exploited remotely through web-based image processing workflows, making it especially dangerous for internet-facing applications.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of libwebp to version 1.0.1 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and memory validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement input validation controls for all image uploads and processing pipelines, employing sandboxed environments for image handling operations. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous image processing activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should also include comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all systems utilizing libwebp, with particular attention to applications that process untrusted image data from external sources. Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to WebP image processing and implement automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all affected systems.