CVE-2026-109282 in ImageMagick
Summary
by MITRE • 10/12/2026
ImageMagick before 6.9.13-57 and 7.x before 7.1.2-32 contains a type confusion flaw in the INFO, JSON and YAML encoders, where an internal method receives a pointer of an unexpected type when writing an image in a compressed format. An attacker who can cause such an image write can trigger a SIGABRT or SIGSEGV, crashing the process and causing denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/12/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-3918 represents a critical type confusion flaw within ImageMagick, affecting versions prior to 6.9.13-57 in the legacy branch and version 7.x prior to 7.1.2-32 in the modern release line. This defect is specifically located within the encoding subsystems responsible for handling INFO, JSON, and YAML output formats. These encoders are designed to serialize image metadata into structured text-based representations, a feature often utilized by web applications that process user-uploaded images or generate thumbnails with embedded descriptive data. The core technical issue arises from an internal method receiving a pointer of an unexpected type during the execution of these encoding routines when writing an image in a compressed format. In C and C++ based software like ImageMagick, such type mismatches typically occur due to insufficient validation of input structures or incorrect casting assumptions made by the developer regarding the memory layout of objects passed through various layers of the application logic.
From a technical perspective, this flaw constitutes a classic instance of improper type checking leading to undefined behavior in low-level code execution environments. When the encoder attempts to access members of an object using a pointer that does not actually point to the expected data structure, it reads or writes memory at incorrect offsets. This misalignment can corrupt internal state variables or trigger immediate hardware exceptions depending on the specific architecture and operating system protections in place. The primary observable manifestation of this vulnerability is the triggering of SIGABRT or SIGSEGV signals. A SIGABRT signal indicates that an abort condition has been detected, often by a runtime library checking for consistency violations, while a SIGSEGV signal signifies a segmentation fault where the process attempted to access memory it was not permitted to access. Both outcomes result in the immediate termination of the ImageMagick processing thread or daemon.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is predominantly centered on denial of service against services that rely on ImageMagick for image manipulation and metadata extraction. If an attacker can supply a crafted input file or manipulate parameters within an API call to trigger these specific encoders, they can cause the application hosting ImageMagick to crash repeatedly. In web environments where ImageMagick is invoked via command-line interfaces or library calls from languages like PHP, Python, or Ruby, such crashes often lead to worker process exhaustion, service unavailability for legitimate users, and potential instability in the broader server environment if not properly isolated. While the primary impact described is a denial of service, type confusion vulnerabilities can sometimes be chained with other memory corruption issues to achieve arbitrary code execution, although this specific advisory highlights the crash behavior as the confirmed risk vector.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-843, which defines access to incorrect data types or structures, and falls under the broader category of CWE-120, buffer overflows, due to the potential for memory corruption resulting from improper pointer usage. In terms of tactical mapping within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this flaw facilitates resource exhaustion attacks, corresponding to T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service or potentially impacting service availability in cloud environments under T1498 Network Denial of Service if applied at scale against a central image processing microservice. The exploitation requires an attacker with the ability to cause the application to write images using one of the affected encoders, which may involve uploading maliciously crafted files that trigger specific metadata serialization paths or manipulating API parameters in web applications that expose these encoding functions directly.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability are straightforward and center on immediate version upgrades. Organizations utilizing ImageMagick must upgrade to version 6.9.13-57 or later if operating within the legacy branch, or version 7.1.2-32 and above for those using the modern release line. These versions contain patches that enforce stricter type checking and validate pointer types before dereferencing them during encoding operations. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible due to dependency constraints, temporary mitigations include disabling the specific encoders affected by this flaw if they are not required for business functions. Additionally, implementing strict input validation at the application layer can help prevent malformed data from reaching the ImageMagick library in a way that triggers these code paths. Monitoring logs for frequent process crashes or segmentation faults associated with image processing services should also be prioritized to detect potential exploitation attempts early.