CVE-2017-12652

libpng before 1.6.32 does not properly check the length of chunks against the user limit

Critical · published July 10, 2019

CVSS v3.1
9.8
EPSS
4%
Percentile
90.7
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🔥 Watch out! Libpng versions before 1.6.32 can be tricked into processing chunks that are too long, leading to a memory overflow nightmare! Think of it like a restaurant that doesn’t check how big your order is before bringing it to the kitchen. If a chef suddenly has to handle an impossibly large order, the kitchen can overflow with chaos! The consequences could be absolutely devastating. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause a crash or even execute arbitrary code on the server, potentially taking control of systems that rely on libpng for image processing. Your applications could be left wide open for all sorts of malicious activities!

Put simply

Think of it like a restaurant that doesn’t check how big your order is before bringing it to the kitchen. If a chef suddenly has to handle an impossibly large order, the kitchen can overflow with chaos! This vulnerability stems from libpng not enforcing the chunk length limits correctly, allowing overly long input to lead to a buffer overflow, which can be exploited by attackers to manipulate program execution.

What to do

The consequences could be absolutely devastating. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause a crash or even execute arbitrary code on the server, potentially taking control of systems that rely on libpng for image processing. Your applications could be left wide open for all sorts of malicious activities! To protect your applications, upgrade libpng to version 1.6.32 or later immediately. It’s also wise to conduct a thorough audit of your systems and consider implementing stricter input validation measures to prevent similar vulnerabilities from creeping in! You’ve got this! By taking these proactive steps, you’ll be a true security hero, keeping your systems safe and sound. 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
9.8 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.04113 · 90.7th percentile
Published
2019-07-10T14:10Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 10 JUL 14:10Z
    libpng before 1.6.32 does not properly check the length of chunks against the user limit
    cvelistv5