Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-7648 is a buffer overflow in OpenJPEG 2.3.0’s MJ2 extraction utility. It can be triggered when a long output prefix is supplied on the command line. Business urgency is limited unless your environment exposes this tool through automated processing or user-controlled workflows.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted hygiene fix, not an emergency, unless OpenJPEG processing is exposed to untrusted users or automated ingestion. Prioritize confirmation of usage and patch status on media-processing systems.
Technical view
The flaw is in mj2/opj_mj2_extract.c. The output prefix length was not checked, allowing a buffer overflow when the prefix is 50 or more characters. Public sources identify OpenJPEG 2.3.0 and an upstream commit addressing the issue, but do not provide CVSS, CWE, or broader affected-version data.
Likely exposure
Most exposure is likely on systems that have OpenJPEG 2.3.0 installed and use opj_mj2_extract. Risk increases if scripts, services, or batch pipelines pass untrusted input into the output-prefix argument.
Exploitation context
Public sources describe a command-line argument condition, not a network service flaw. No provided source or KEV listing indicates active exploitation. Practical impact depends on whether attackers can influence that argument in local or automated processing contexts.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: CVSS, CWE, and detailed affected-version metadata are absent in the provided records. The available GitHub issue and commit support the root cause and remediation direction. Do not assume remote exploitability without an exposed wrapper or workflow.
Mitigation direction
- Identify OpenJPEG 2.3.0 deployments and use of opj_mj2_extract.
- Update to a vendor-supported build containing the upstream fix.
- If no packaged fix is available, follow current OpenJPEG vendor guidance.
- Restrict untrusted users from controlling opj_mj2_extract output prefixes.
- Review automation that wraps OpenJPEG command-line tools.
Validation and detection
- Check installed OpenJPEG package versions and bundled utilities.
- Confirm whether opj_mj2_extract is present and used.
- Verify the package includes upstream commit cc3824767bde397fedb8a1ae4786a222ba860c8d.
- Review scripts for user-controlled output-prefix values.
- Confirm no external workflow passes untrusted prefix input to the tool.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CVE-2018-7648 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/uclouvain/openjpeg/issues/1088CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/uclouvain/openjpeg/commit/cc3824767bde397fedb8a1ae4786a222ba860c8dCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.