Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-3618 is a denial-of-service flaw in libtiff. If a user or service processes a specially crafted TIFF image, the library can crash. The main business risk is disruption to applications that handle images, uploads, documents, email attachments, or automated conversion workflows.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate availability risk. It should be patched through routine security maintenance, faster for internet-facing upload services, document automation, managed file ingestion, or products where image-processing crashes affect customer workflows.
Technical view
The flaw is described as a buffer overflow leading to a segmentation fault in Fax3Encode in libtiff/tif_fax3.c. CVSS 3.1 is 6.5, with network attack vector and required user interaction. The reported impact is availability only, not confidentiality or integrity.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where libtiff is installed and untrusted TIFF files are processed. Source data names libtiff, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 libtiff packages, RHEL 8 compat-libtiff3, and Fedora packages. RHEL 6 and 7 entries are marked unknown in the bundle.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. Exploitation requires processing a crafted TIFF file, so risk depends on whether vulnerable systems ingest files from users, partners, email, web uploads, or automated document pipelines.
Researcher notes
The source bundle gives the vulnerable function and impact but not complete fixed version details for every vendor. Avoid assuming remote code execution or active exploitation. Validate exposure by package inventory and data-flow review, especially where TIFF parsing occurs without user supervision.
Mitigation direction
- Check vendor advisories for fixed package versions and supported update paths.
- Update libtiff and related OS packages through normal vendor channels.
- Prioritize systems that process untrusted TIFF, document, image, or email content.
- Reduce exposure by isolating or limiting untrusted TIFF processing where updates are delayed.
- Review Red Hat, Debian, Apple, NetApp, and Fedora-relevant guidance for your estate.
Validation and detection
- Inventory libtiff, compat-libtiff3, mingw-libtiff, iv, and dependent image-processing packages.
- Compare installed package versions against the relevant vendor advisory for each platform.
- Identify public upload, email, preview, conversion, and scanning paths that parse TIFF files.
- Check logs and crash reports for libtiff or TIFF-processing segmentation faults.
- Confirm remediation by verifying updated packages, not by using malicious test files.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-120: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-3618 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H2.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-3618CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2215865CVE reference · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/07/msg00034.htmlCVE reference
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230824-0012/CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214038CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214036CVE reference
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214037CVE reference
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00019.htmlCVE reference
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.
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.