CVE-2013-6954: Null Pointer Dereference

Published Dec 19, 2013
·
Updated

libpng 1.6.8 was released [1] and notes the following fix:

Handle zero-length PLTE chunk or NULL palette with pngerror() instead of pngchunkreport(), which by default issues a warning rather than an error, leading to later reading from a NULL pointer (pngptr->palette) in pngdoexpandpalette(). This is CVE-2013-6954 and VU#650142.

The git commit to fix is available [3].

[1] http://sourceforge.net/projects/libpng/files/libpng16/1.6.8/Gnupg/ [2] http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/650142 [3] http://sourceforge.net/p/libpng/code/ci/1faa6ff32c648acfe3cf30a58d31d7aebc24968c

Other sources

The pngdoexpandpalette function in libpng before 1.6.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via (1) a PLTE chunk of zero bytes or (2) a NULL palette, related to pngrtran.c and pngset.c.

Affected Software

26 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/java<1.7.0-oracle-1:1.7.0.55-1jpp.2.el5_10
1.7.0-oracle-1:1.7.0.55-1jpp.2.el5_10
redhat/java<1.6.0-sun-1:1.6.0.75-1jpp.3.el5_10
1.6.0-sun-1:1.6.0.75-1jpp.3.el5_10
redhat/java<1.7.0-oracle-1:1.7.0.55-1jpp.1.el6_5
1.7.0-oracle-1:1.7.0.55-1jpp.1.el6_5
redhat/java<1.6.0-sun-1:1.6.0.75-1jpp.1.el6_5
1.6.0-sun-1:1.6.0.75-1jpp.1.el6_5
redhat/java<1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el6
1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el6
redhat/java<1.7.0-ibm-1:1.7.0.7.0-1jpp.1.el5_10
1.7.0-ibm-1:1.7.0.7.0-1jpp.1.el5_10
redhat/java<1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el5_10
1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el5_10
redhat/java<1.7.0-ibm-1:1.7.0.7.0-1jpp.1.el6_5
1.7.0-ibm-1:1.7.0.7.0-1jpp.1.el6_5
redhat/java<1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el6_5
1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el6_5
redhat/java<1.7.1-ibm-1:1.7.1.1.0-1jpp.2.el7_0
1.7.1-ibm-1:1.7.1.1.0-1jpp.2.el7_0
redhat/libpng<1.6.8
1.6.8
libpng LIBPNG<=1.6.8
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.0
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.0-beta
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.1
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.1-beta
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.2
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.2-beta
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.3
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.3-beta
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.4
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.4-beta
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.5
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.6
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.7
libpng LIBPNG=1.6.7-beta

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.7.0-oracle-1:1.7.0.55-1jpp.2.el5_10
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.0-sun-1:1.6.0.75-1jpp.3.el5_10
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.7.0-oracle-1:1.7.0.55-1jpp.1.el6_5
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.0-sun-1:1.6.0.75-1jpp.1.el6_5
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el6
  6. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.7.0-ibm-1:1.7.0.7.0-1jpp.1.el5_10
  7. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el5_10
  8. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.7.0-ibm-1:1.7.0.7.0-1jpp.1.el6_5
  9. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.0-ibm-1:1.6.0.16.0-1jpp.1.el6_5
  10. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/java to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.7.1-ibm-1:1.7.1.1.0-1jpp.2.el7_0
  11. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/libpng to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.8
  12. Upgrade

    Upgrade libpng to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.6.8
  13. Compensating control

    For versions affected by CVE-2013-6954 (e.g., libpng < 1.6.8), mitigate by rejecting/denying PNG files that contain a PLTE chunk of zero bytes or a NULL palette before they reach libpng’s png_do_expand_palette() code path.

Event History

Dec 19, 2013
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Jan 12, 2014
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:00 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:34 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2013-6954?

CVE-2013-6954 is classified as a medium severity vulnerability.

2

What versions are affected by CVE-2013-6954?

CVE-2013-6954 affects libpng versions up to 1.6.8.

3

How do I fix CVE-2013-6954?

To fix CVE-2013-6954, upgrade to libpng version 1.6.9 or later.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2013-6954?

The impact of CVE-2013-6954 is the potential for an application to crash due to reading from a NULL pointer.

5

Does CVE-2013-6954 affect Java packages?

Yes, CVE-2013-6954 affects certain Java packages including both Oracle and IBM Java distributions.

Contact

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