CVE-2021-44339 – CVE-2021-44339 is a heap buffer overflow vulner... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-44339?

CVE-2021-44339 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). CVE-2021-44339 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the ok-file-formats library's PNG processing function. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious PNG files to potentially execute arbitrary code or crash applications. Any software using vulnerable versions of ok-file-formats to process PNG files is affected.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2021-44339 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the ok-file-formats library's PNG processing function. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious PNG files to potentially execute arbitrary code or crash applications. Any software using vulnerable versions of ok-file-formats to process PNG files is affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

ok-file-formats library
Applications using ok-file-formats for PNG processing

Versions: Versions up to commit 203defd (and likely earlier)

Operating Systems: All platforms where ok-file-formats is used

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability triggers when processing PNG files through the affected library functions.

📦 What is this software?

Ok File Formats by Ok File Formats Project

View all CVEs affecting Ok File Formats →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise if the vulnerable library is used in a privileged context.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) when processing malicious PNG files, potentially leading to data loss or service disruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Exploitation requires processing attacker-controlled PNG files, which could occur through file uploads or web content.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Requires local file processing or internal network file sharing to trigger.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting malicious PNG files and getting them processed by vulnerable applications.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in commits after 203defd

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/brackeen/ok-file-formats/issues/15

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update ok-file-formats to latest version. 2. Rebuild applications using the library. 3. Restart affected services.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable PNG processing

all

Disable PNG file processing in applications using ok-file-formats

Input validation

all

Implement strict validation of PNG files before processing

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement application sandboxing to limit impact of potential exploitation
Use memory protection features like ASLR and DEP if available

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if applications use ok-file-formats library version from before the fix commit

Check Version:

Check build configuration or library version strings in applications

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify library version is updated and test with known malicious PNG samples

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes when processing PNG files
Memory access violation errors

Network Indicators:

Unusual PNG file uploads to web applications

SIEM Query:

search 'application crash' AND 'png' OR 'ok_png'

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-44339

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: February 28, 2022

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://github.com/brackeen/ok-file-formats/issues/15 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/brackeen/ok-file-formats/issues/15 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory

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