CVE-2021-27845 in Image Coding Toolkit
Summary
by MITRE • 07/15/2021
A Divide-by-zero vulnerability exists in JasPer Image Coding Toolkit 2.0 in jasper/src/libjasper/jpc/jpc_enc.c
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2021
The CVE-2021-27845 vulnerability represents a critical divide-by-zero error within the JasPer Image Coding Toolkit version 2.0, specifically within the jpc_enc.c source file responsible for JPEG 2000 encoding operations. This flaw occurs when the encoding process encounters certain malformed image data that triggers a division operation by zero during the calculation of quantization steps or other mathematical computations required for the JPEG 2000 compression algorithm implementation. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within the image processing pipeline, where the software fails to properly validate the parameters of the image data before proceeding with mathematical operations that require non-zero denominators.
This divide-by-zero condition creates a severe operational impact that can be exploited by attackers to cause denial-of-service conditions or potentially execute arbitrary code within the context of the affected application. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-369 as a divide-by-zero error, which represents a fundamental programming error that can lead to system instability and crashes. When exploited, the vulnerability allows an attacker to craft malicious image files that, when processed by an application using the JasPer library, will trigger the division operation with a zero denominator, causing the application to crash or behave unpredictably. The attack surface is particularly broad as the JasPer library is widely used across various applications and systems for image processing and encoding tasks, including web applications, image servers, and multimedia processing platforms.
The operational implications of this vulnerability extend beyond simple service disruption to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors within the context of the ATT&CK framework's execution and privilege escalation categories. Systems utilizing vulnerable versions of JasPer are at risk of experiencing application crashes that can be leveraged for persistent denial-of-service attacks against critical infrastructure components. The vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in server environments where image processing is automated, as a single malicious image file can cause cascading failures across multiple processing threads or services. Additionally, the error condition may expose internal system information or create opportunities for information disclosure attacks, as the system behavior during the division-by-zero scenario might reveal details about memory structures or internal processing states.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-27845 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the latest version of JasPer that addresses the divide-by-zero condition in jpc_enc.c. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation procedures for all image data processing workflows, including the implementation of proper error handling routines that can gracefully manage malformed input data without causing system crashes. Network segmentation and application firewalls can help limit the impact of potential exploitation attempts by restricting access to image processing services. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any other potentially vulnerable components that might be using the affected JasPer library. The implementation of robust logging and monitoring systems is essential to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while also providing forensic data for incident response activities. System administrators should also consider implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all affected systems.