CVE-2019-12974 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE
A NULL pointer dereference in the function ReadPANGOImage in coders/pango.c and the function ReadVIDImage in coders/vid.c in ImageMagick 7.0.8-34 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-12974 represents a critical NULL pointer dereference flaw within ImageMagick's image processing libraries, specifically affecting versions up to 7.0.8-34. This vulnerability resides in two distinct functions within the coders module, namely ReadPANGOImage in coders/pango.c and ReadVIDImage in coders/vid.c, which are responsible for handling specific image formats. The flaw occurs when the application attempts to dereference a NULL pointer during the image parsing process, creating a condition where the software crashes or becomes unresponsive when processing malformed or crafted image files. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference conditions, making it a well-documented and dangerous class of software flaws that can lead to system instability and denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes, as it creates a remote denial of service condition that can be exploited by attackers without requiring authentication or specialized privileges. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted image file to a system running vulnerable ImageMagick software, the application will attempt to process the file and encounter the NULL pointer dereference, resulting in an immediate crash or hang of the image processing service. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in web applications and services that accept user-uploaded images, as it allows attackers to systematically disrupt services by uploading malicious image files that trigger the crash condition. The flaw can be leveraged in various attack scenarios including web application exploitation, file upload validation bypass, and service disruption attacks that target systems relying on ImageMagick for image processing operations.
Security practitioners should recognize that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" and represents a classic example of how image processing libraries can become attack vectors in modern software environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and error handling in multimedia processing applications, as the flaw occurs during the initial parsing phase of image files rather than during more complex processing operations. Organizations using ImageMagick in their infrastructure should immediately implement mitigations including version updates to 7.0.8-35 or later, which contain patches addressing this specific NULL pointer dereference issue. Additionally, implementing proper image validation at the application level, including file type verification and size limits, can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the critical nature of image processing libraries in modern software ecosystems, where a single flaw can compromise entire applications and services that rely on these components for image handling functionality. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that multimedia libraries, while essential for modern applications, require rigorous security testing and validation to prevent exploitation by malicious actors. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their software stacks to identify similar patterns in other image processing libraries and ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent unauthorized access and service disruption attacks targeting these critical components.