CVE-2017-11538
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 · uneditedWhen ImageMagick 7.0.6-1 processes a crafted file in convert, it can lead to a Memory Leak in the WriteOnePNGImage() function in coders/png.c.
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 · moderate confidenceImageMagick 7.0.6-1 contains a memory leak vulnerability in the WriteOnePNGImage() function within coders/png.c. When processing a specially crafted PNG file through the convert utility, the function fails to properly deallocate memory, leading to gradual memory exhaustion. This can result in denial of service through resource exhaustion if a malicious file is repeatedly processed.
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 data= 7.0.6-1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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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Check if ImageMagick is installedRun 'convert --version' or 'magick --version' to determine if ImageMagick is present on the systemAffected if ImageMagick is installed and responds to the version command
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Determine the installed ImageMagick versionExamine the output from the version command to identify the exact version numberAffected if The version displayed is exactly 7.0.6-1 (the only affected version per the provided data)
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Verify PNG coder support is availableRun 'identify -list configure' and look for PNG in the DELEGATES or CODER section, or run 'convert -list format' and check if PNG is listed as supportedAffected if PNG format support is enabled and listed as available in ImageMagick
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Confirm the convert utility is accessibleRun 'which convert' or 'where convert' to verify the convert command-line tool is available on the systemAffected if The convert utility is present and executable (this is the tool that triggers the vulnerable code path)
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Verify the vulnerable coders/png.c component existsCheck the ImageMagick installation for the png.c source file or compiled png coder module in the coders directoryAffected if The PNG coder component is present in the installation (this contains the vulnerable WriteOnePNGImage function)
You are affected only if ImageMagick version 7.0.6-1 is installed with PNG support enabled and the convert utility is available to process PNG files.
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 dataUpdate ImageMagick to a patched version beyond 7.0.6-1. Additionally, implement file type validation and resource limits on image processing operations to mitigate risks from untrusted input files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-11538 — 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-2017-11538 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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- 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
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