Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a heap buffer over-read in the libpng library's png_write_image_8bit function when processing certain 8-bit images. Specifically, due to an incorrect conditional guard, 8-bit input data is mistakenly processed as if it were 16-bit input, causing the function to read up to 2 bytes beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. This affects 8-bit grayscale+alpha, RGB/RGBA, and images with incomplete row data. The issue exists in libpng versions from 1.6.0 up to but not including 1.6.51 and has been fixed in version 1.6.51.

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Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to a heap buffer over-read, which may cause application crashes or potentially allow an attacker to read sensitive memory contents beyond the intended buffer. This can result in denial of service or information disclosure when processing specially crafted PNG images using vulnerable versions of libpng.

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Mitigation Strategies

Update libpng to version 1.6.51 or later, as this version contains the patch that fixes the heap buffer over-read vulnerability in the png_write_image_8bit function.

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