Division by Zero in ImageMagick via Binomial Kernel Processing

Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in ImageMagick versions before 7.1.2-22 and involves a division by zero error in the binomial kernel processing. An attacker can supply a large binomial kernel value that causes an integer overflow, which then leads to a division by zero and causes the application to crash.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability occurs when ImageMagick processes an excessively large binomial kernel value, causing an integer overflow and division by zero that leads to application crash (denial of service). Detection involves verifying the version of ImageMagick installed and testing for the vulnerability by attempting to process images with large binomial kernel parameters.

To detect if your system is vulnerable, first check the installed ImageMagick version:

• magick -version

If the version is prior to 7.1.2-22 or 6.9.13-47, the system is potentially vulnerable.

To test for the vulnerability, you can try to process an image with a large binomial kernel value that may trigger the division by zero error. For example, using the "-morphology" option with a large binomial kernel size might cause the crash.

• magick input.png -morphology Convolve Binomial:1000 output.png

If the application crashes or terminates unexpectedly during this operation, it indicates the presence of the vulnerability.

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Impact Analysis

The primary impact of this vulnerability is a denial of service (DoS). An attacker can exploit this flaw to crash the ImageMagick application by triggering a division by zero error, potentially disrupting services or applications that rely on ImageMagick for image processing.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability in ImageMagick causes a denial of service through a division by zero error triggered by an integer overflow. It impacts availability but does not affect confidentiality or integrity of data.

Since the vulnerability does not lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, or data modification, it has limited direct impact on compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA, which primarily focus on protecting personal data confidentiality and integrity.

However, the denial of service could affect system availability, which may be a consideration under some regulatory frameworks that require maintaining service continuity.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade ImageMagick to version 7.1.2-22 or later, or 6.9.13-47 or later, where the division by zero issue in binomial kernel processing has been fixed.

Avoid processing untrusted or maliciously crafted binomial kernel inputs that could trigger the integer overflow and division by zero.

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