CVE-2024-28566
📋 TL;DR
A buffer overflow vulnerability in FreeImage v3.19.0 allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting the AssignPixel() function when processing malicious TIFF images. This affects any application using the vulnerable FreeImage library for image processing. Attackers could gain full control of affected systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- FreeImage
📦 What is this software?
Freeimage by Freeimage Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining root/admin privileges, data theft, ransomware deployment, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to execute code with the privileges of the application using FreeImage, potentially leading to lateral movement within networks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if applications run with minimal privileges, have memory protection mechanisms, or process only trusted image files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access to upload or process malicious TIFF files. The vulnerability is in a core image processing function making reliable exploitation likely.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check FreeImage repository for updates beyond 3.19.0 r1909
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/Ruanxingzhi/vul-report/tree/master/freeimage-r1909
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check current FreeImage version. 2. Update to latest FreeImage version from official repository. 3. Recompile applications using FreeImage. 4. Restart affected services.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable TIFF Processing
allConfigure applications to disable TIFF image format support if not required
Application-specific configuration to disable FreeImage TIFF plugin
File Type Restrictions
allImplement file upload restrictions to block TIFF files
Configure web servers/applications to reject .tif/.tiff file uploads
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file upload validation and sanitization for TIFF files
- Run applications with minimal privileges and enable memory protection mechanisms like ASLR/DEP
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check FreeImage version: grep -r "FreeImage Version" in application binaries or check linked library versionCheck Version:
ldd <application> | grep -i freeimage or check application's about/version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify FreeImage version is updated beyond 3.19.0 r1909 and test with known malicious TIFF samples📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing TIFF files
- Memory access violation errors in application logs
- Unexpected process termination during image processing
Network Indicators:
- Unusual TIFF file uploads to applications
- Multiple failed TIFF processing attempts
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "access violation" OR "buffer overflow") AND "tif"