CVE-2023-52356: Libtiff Denial of Service Vulnerability

CVE-2023-52356 Overview

A segment fault (SEGV) flaw was discovered in libtiff that can be triggered by passing a specially crafted TIFF file to the TIFFReadRGBATileExt() API. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a heap-buffer overflow, leading to a denial of service condition. The flaw exists in the image processing library's tile reading functionality, making applications that process untrusted TIFF files particularly vulnerable.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can crash applications using libtiff by supplying malicious TIFF files, causing denial of service through heap-buffer overflow exploitation.

Affected Products

• libtiff (all versions prior to patch)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0

Discovery Timeline

• January 25, 2024 - CVE-2023-52356 published to NVD
• December 10, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-52356

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) and CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write). The flaw resides in the TIFFReadRGBATileExt() function within the libtiff library, which is responsible for reading TIFF image tiles and converting them to RGBA format. When processing a maliciously crafted TIFF file, the function fails to properly validate tile dimensions or memory boundaries before performing read operations.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely via network-accessible applications that process TIFF images. No authentication or user interaction is required to trigger the flaw, though exploitation does not result in data confidentiality or integrity compromise—the impact is limited to availability through application crashes.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking in the tile reading functionality of libtiff. When the TIFFReadRGBATileExt() API processes tile data from a crafted TIFF file, it fails to adequately validate the relationship between declared tile dimensions and the actual memory buffer allocated for storing the decompressed tile data. This leads to heap memory being overwritten beyond the allocated boundaries, resulting in a segmentation fault.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2023-52356 is network-based, meaning an attacker can deliver a malicious TIFF file through various channels including email attachments, web uploads, file sharing services, or any application that accepts and processes TIFF images from untrusted sources. The attack requires no privileges or user interaction beyond the application opening the malicious file.

An attacker would craft a TIFF file with manipulated tile metadata that causes the library to miscalculate buffer sizes during the tile reading process. When a vulnerable application attempts to process this file using TIFFReadRGBATileExt(), the heap-buffer overflow occurs, causing the application to crash.

The vulnerability mechanism involves the tile reading function processing malformed tile metadata that specifies dimensions or offsets incompatible with the actual allocated buffer space. Detailed technical analysis can be found in the GitLab TIFF Issue #622.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-52356

Indicators of Compromise

• Application crashes with segmentation fault (SIGSEGV) when processing TIFF files
• Core dumps indicating heap corruption in libtiff-related memory regions
• Abnormal process termination in image processing services handling TIFF uploads
• Increased crash reports from applications utilizing TIFFReadRGBATileExt() function

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for SIGSEGV signals in applications that process TIFF files, particularly those using the libtiff library
• Implement file integrity monitoring on libtiff library files to detect unauthorized modifications or outdated versions
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify crash patterns associated with heap-buffer overflow exploitation
• Use static analysis tools to identify applications linking against vulnerable libtiff versions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and analysis for all applications that process image files
• Monitor system logs for repeated segmentation faults in image processing workflows
• Implement network traffic analysis to detect unusual TIFF file transfers to critical systems
• Track libtiff library version across all systems using software inventory management

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-52356

Immediate Actions Required

• Update libtiff to the latest patched version immediately on all affected systems
• Apply vendor-specific patches from Red Hat, Debian, or Apple as applicable to your environment
• Restrict TIFF file processing from untrusted sources until patches are applied
• Consider temporarily disabling or sandboxing applications that process untrusted TIFF files

Patch Information

Multiple vendors have released security patches addressing this vulnerability. The official fix is available through GitLab TIFF Merge Request #546. Red Hat has released several security advisories including RHSA-2024:5079 for Enterprise Linux systems. Apple has also addressed this issue in multiple security updates including HT214116, HT214117, and HT214118. Debian users should refer to the Debian LTS security announcements for applicable updates.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to reject malformed TIFF files before they reach the libtiff library
• Use sandboxing technologies to isolate TIFF processing applications from critical system resources
• Configure application firewalls to limit TIFF file uploads to trusted sources only
• Deploy memory protection mechanisms such as ASLR and stack canaries to limit exploitation impact

# Check installed libtiff version on Linux systems
rpm -qa | grep libtiff
dpkg -l | grep libtiff

# Verify libtiff version in use by applications
ldd /path/to/application | grep libtiff