CVE-2024-41440
📋 TL;DR
A heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the png_quantize() function of hicolor v0.5.0 allows attackers to cause Denial of Service (DoS) by providing a specially crafted PNG file. This affects systems using hicolor for PNG processing, potentially crashing the application. The vulnerability is exploitable without authentication.
💻 Affected Systems
- hicolor
📦 What is this software?
Hicolor by Dbohdan
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete application crash leading to sustained DoS, potential for remote code execution if heap manipulation succeeds (though not confirmed in this CVE).
Likely Case
Application crash and denial of service when processing malicious PNG files, requiring restart of affected services.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper input validation and memory protections are in place, with crashes contained to isolated processes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Proof-of-concept available in GitHub repository with sample malicious PNG file. Exploitation requires feeding crafted PNG to vulnerable function.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for updated version of hicolor beyond v0.5.0
2. If no patch available, consider alternative PNG processing libraries
3. Monitor project repository for security updates
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable PNG processing
allRemove or disable hicolor PNG processing functionality if not required
# Configuration dependent - disable PNG support in application using hicolor
Input validation
allImplement strict validation of PNG files before passing to hicolor
# Use libpng or other libraries to validate PNG structure before processing
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate systems using hicolor
- Deploy application-level firewalls to block suspicious PNG uploads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if hicolor v0.5.0 is installed and used for PNG processingCheck Version:
# Check hicolor version: hicolor --version or check package managerVerify Fix Applied:
Verify hicolor version is updated beyond v0.5.0 or PNG processing is disabled📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with segmentation faults
- Memory allocation errors in logs
- Abnormal termination of PNG processing tasks
Network Indicators:
- Unusual PNG file uploads to services using hicolor
- Repeated connection attempts followed by service crashes
SIEM Query:
source="application.log" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "heap overflow" OR "png_quantize")🔗 References
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/poc
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/poc/sample18.png
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/vulDescription.assets/image-20240530225208577.png
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/vulDescription.md
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/poc
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/poc/sample18.png
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/vulDescription.assets/image-20240530225208577.png
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/hicolor/heapof-w1-png_quantize-cli-220c32/vulDescription.md
