CVE-2023-52355: Libtiff DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2023-52355 Overview

An out-of-memory flaw was found in libtiff that could be triggered by passing a crafted TIFF file to the TIFFRasterScanlineSize64() API. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted input with a size smaller than 379 KB, making it a practical attack vector that requires minimal resources to exploit.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can cause denial of service conditions on systems processing TIFF images, potentially disrupting critical image processing workflows and services without requiring authentication.

Affected Products

• libtiff (all vulnerable versions)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-01-25 - CVE-2023-52355 published to NVD
• 2025-12-10 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-52355

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as an out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) that manifests as an out-of-memory condition when processing maliciously crafted TIFF files. The flaw exists within the TIFFRasterScanlineSize64() function, which is responsible for calculating the size of a raster scanline in bytes for TIFF image processing operations.

When a specially crafted TIFF file is processed, the function can be manipulated to trigger excessive memory allocation requests. The attack is particularly concerning because it can be triggered with files smaller than 379 KB, making it easy to distribute malicious payloads through various channels including email attachments, web uploads, and document processing pipelines.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring any authentication or user interaction beyond having the target system process the malicious TIFF file. Applications that automatically process user-uploaded images, document conversion services, and image manipulation tools are particularly at risk.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper validation of TIFF file parameters before memory allocation in the TIFFRasterScanlineSize64() function. The function fails to adequately verify that the calculated scanline size is reasonable before attempting memory operations. When processing a crafted TIFF file with manipulated header values, the function can be tricked into computing an extremely large scanline size, leading to memory exhaustion when the system attempts to fulfill the allocation request.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Crafting a malicious TIFF file with manipulated header fields that cause abnormal scanline size calculations
2. Delivering the file to a target system through any mechanism that results in TIFF processing (web uploads, email attachments, API endpoints, etc.)
3. When the vulnerable application calls TIFFRasterScanlineSize64() to process the image, excessive memory allocation occurs
4. The system experiences memory exhaustion, resulting in denial of service

The small file size requirement (under 379 KB) makes this attack particularly practical, as such files can easily bypass size-based upload restrictions commonly implemented in web applications.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-52355

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual memory consumption spikes in processes handling TIFF image files
• Application crashes or out-of-memory errors in image processing services
• Presence of small TIFF files (under 379 KB) with malformed or unusual header values
• Repeated service restarts for applications using libtiff library

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system memory usage for abnormal allocation patterns when processing TIFF files
• Implement file integrity monitoring for applications that depend on libtiff
• Deploy application-level logging to track TIFF processing failures and exceptions
• Use endpoint detection tools to identify processes experiencing memory exhaustion during image processing

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerts for out-of-memory conditions in services that process user-uploaded images
• Implement resource limits (memory cgroups, ulimits) for processes handling untrusted TIFF files
• Monitor libtiff library version across all systems to ensure vulnerable versions are identified
• Review logs for patterns of failed TIFF processing that could indicate exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-52355

Immediate Actions Required

• Update libtiff to the latest patched version available from your distribution
• Apply Red Hat security advisories for Enterprise Linux systems (RHSA-2025:20801, RHSA-2025:21994, RHSA-2025:23078)
• Review and identify all applications using libtiff for TIFF processing
• Implement memory limits for processes that handle untrusted image files

Patch Information

Red Hat has released security advisories addressing this vulnerability for Enterprise Linux systems. Administrators should apply the relevant patches based on their distribution version:

• RHSA-2025:20801 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux security update
• RHSA-2025:21994 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux security update
• RHSA-2025:23078 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux security update
• RHSA-2025:23079 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux security update
• RHSA-2025:23080 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux security update

For detailed technical information about the vulnerability, refer to the GitLab Issue #621 for libtiff and the Red Hat Bugzilla Entry #2251326.

Workarounds

• Implement strict file validation and sanitization before processing TIFF files from untrusted sources
• Configure resource limits (memory limits, process sandboxing) for applications that process user-uploaded TIFF images
• Consider using alternative image processing libraries that do not rely on vulnerable libtiff versions where feasible
• Deploy network-level filtering to inspect and quarantine suspicious TIFF files before they reach processing systems

# Example: Configure memory limits for TIFF processing service
# Using systemd to limit memory for an image processing service
sudo systemctl edit image-processor.service

# Add the following to limit memory usage:
# [Service]
# MemoryMax=512M
# MemorySwapMax=0