Memory Leak in ImageMagick via TXT File Processing

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a memory leak in ImageMagick's TXT file processing code, specifically in the coders/txt.c file. It occurs when a TXT file contains a texture attribute and the GetTypeMetrics function fails during processing. In this case, the texture object allocated by the ReadImage function is not properly released, causing memory to leak each time such a crafted TXT file is processed.

The issue affects ImageMagick versions before 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40 and is classified under CWE-401, which refers to failure to release allocated memory after use.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability causes a memory leak when processing specially crafted TXT files with texture attributes. However, it has a CVSS score of 0.0, indicating that it does not directly impact confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the system.

The main impact is potential increased memory usage which could lead to resource exhaustion if exploited repeatedly, but there are no direct security consequences such as data loss or unauthorized access.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update ImageMagick to version 7.1.2-15 or later, or 6.9.13-40 or later, where the memory leak issue in the TXT file processing with texture attributes has been fixed.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a memory leak issue with no impact on confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data.

Since it does not affect data confidentiality or integrity, it does not directly affect compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is a memory leak in ImageMagick when processing crafted TXT files with texture attributes. Detection typically involves identifying the use of vulnerable ImageMagick versions and monitoring for abnormal memory usage during TXT file processing.

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

• magick -version

If the version is before 7.1.2-15 or 6.9.13-40, it is potentially vulnerable.

To detect exploitation attempts or memory leaks, you can monitor memory usage of ImageMagick processes, especially when processing TXT files with texture attributes.

Example commands to monitor memory usage:

• Use top or htop to observe memory consumption in real time: top -p $(pidof magick)
• Use ps to check memory usage: ps aux | grep magick

Additionally, you can test processing a crafted TXT file with a texture attribute and observe if memory usage increases without being released.

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