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A heap-use-after-free vulnerability exists in ImageMagick when processing crafted MSL (Magick Scripting Language) scripts. The issue resides in the MSLStartElement function within the MSL decoder. When the parser encounters an `
dailycve form:
Platform: ImageMagick
Version: <7.1.2-15,<6.9.13-40
Vulnerability: heap-use-after-free
Severity: Medium
date: 2026-02-24
Prediction: Patch released same day
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Check ImageMagick version
convert --version
Detect vulnerable version on Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
dpkg -l imagemagick | grep -E "7.1.2-1[0-4]|6.9.13-[0-3][0-9]"
Detect vulnerable version on RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
rpm -q ImageMagick | grep -E "7.1.2-[0-9]{1,2}|6.9.13-[0-3][0-9]"
Example MSL script that may trigger the vulnerability (conceptual)
echo '<?xml version="1.0"?><image><read filename="input.png"/><operation><image><read filename="exploit.msl"/></image></operation></image>' > exploit.msl
Exploit:
A remote attacker can supply a maliciously crafted MSL script to an application using ImageMagick’s MSL decoder. The script triggers the use-after-free by causing the `operation` element handler to replace and free an image while the parser continues to read from the freed memory. This can lead to a crash (denial of service) and potentially arbitrary code execution, though no public exploit has been confirmed.
Protection from this CVE
- Upgrade to ImageMagick version 7.1.2-15 or later (7.x branch) or 6.9.13-40 or later (6.9.x branch).
- If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to ImageMagick services and disable processing of MSL scripts where possible.
- Implement input validation to reject untrusted or unexpected MSL scripts.
- For systems using vulnerable versions, consider using security modules like AppArmor or SELinux to limit the impact of potential exploits.
- Monitor for any exploitation attempts using intrusion detection systems (IDS) that can detect anomalous ImageMagick behavior.
Impact:
Successful exploitation can lead to a denial-of-service condition, causing the ImageMagick process to crash or behave unpredictably. The CVSS 3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L) indicates a medium severity, with no impact on confidentiality or integrity, but a low impact on availability. However, the NIST has assigned a critical CVSS score of 9.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) due to the potential for remote code execution, though this is contested. The primary risk is application instability and service disruption.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
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