CVE-2014-6355
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Graphics Component in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, and Windows RT Gold and 8.1 does not properly process JPEG images, which makes it easier for remote attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism via a crafted web site, aka "Graphics Component Information Disclosure Vulnerability."
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA vulnerability in the Windows Graphics Component allows improper processing of crafted JPEG images, enabling remote attackers to leak memory addresses and bypass ASLR protection. This information disclosure vulnerability requires user interaction (visiting a malicious website) to trigger the crafted image processing.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versions= r2all versions= r2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Windows versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the installed Windows versionAffected if The version matches Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Rt, Rt 8.1, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, or Server 2012 R2
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Check for MS14-085 security updateRun 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for security update KB2999226 (the MS14-085 patch)Affected if The security update KB2999226 is NOT installed on the system
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Verify graphics component exposureConfirm the system can process JPEG images through built-in Windows graphics components (default behavior for affected versions)Affected if The Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI+) is in use, which processes JPEG images by default on affected systems
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Confirm user interaction vectorCheck if users can browse the internet or open image files (Internet Explorer, Edge, or other applications that process images)Affected if Users have the ability to view images from web browsers or image viewers on the affected system
The system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows 7/8/8.1/Rt version or unpatched Windows Server 2003/2008/2012 variant and processes JPEG images through the Windows Graphics Component.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the relevant Microsoft security update (MS14-085 or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Windows systems. Since this is an information disclosure vulnerability enabling ASLR bypass, prioritize patching internet-facing systems and client workstations.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-6355 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-6355 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data