CVE-2018-19881 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
CVE-2018-19881 involves a denial of service vulnerability in Artifex MuPDF 1.14.0, allowing remote attackers to disrupt services by triggering recursive calls. Learn about the impact, affected systems, exploitation, and mitigation steps.
Artifex MuPDF 1.14.0 in the svg/svg-run.c component is vulnerable to a denial of service attack due to recursive calls leading to excessive stack consumption. Attackers can exploit this by using a specially crafted svg file.
Understanding CVE-2018-19881
This CVE involves a vulnerability in Artifex MuPDF 1.14.0 that allows remote attackers to disrupt services by triggering recursive calls, resulting in a denial of service condition.
What is CVE-2018-19881?
A vulnerability in Artifex MuPDF 1.14.0 in the svg/svg-run.c component allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by triggering recursive calls, leading to a fitz/xml.c fz_xml_att crash due to excessive stack consumption.
The Impact of CVE-2018-19881
- Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to disrupt services by causing a denial of service condition.
Technical Details of CVE-2018-19881
Artifex MuPDF 1.14.0 is susceptible to a denial of service attack due to recursive calls and excessive stack consumption.
Vulnerability Description
- The vulnerability in the svg/svg-run.c component allows remote attackers to trigger recursive calls, leading to a fitz/xml.c fz_xml_att crash.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Artifex MuPDF 1.14.0
- Vendor: Artifex
- Version: All versions are affected
Exploitation Mechanism
- Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by using a specially crafted svg file, as demonstrated by mupdf-gl.
Mitigation and Prevention
It is crucial to take immediate steps to mitigate the impact of CVE-2018-19881 and implement long-term security practices.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Apply vendor patches and updates promptly.
- Restrict access to vulnerable systems.
- Monitor network traffic for signs of exploitation.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update and patch software to address known vulnerabilities.
- Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate weaknesses.
Patching and Updates
- Ensure that Artifex MuPDF is updated to a patched version that addresses the vulnerability.