How severe is CVE-2017-9098?

CVE-2017-9098 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2017-9098 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-9098?

CVE-2017-9098 primarily affects Imagemagick. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-9098?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-9098 published?

CVE-2017-9098 was published on 2017-05-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-9098

CVE-2017-9098 is a high-severity vulnerability in Imagemagick with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-908.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (88th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-908
Affected product: Imagemagick
Published: 2017-05-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

ImageMagick before 7.0.5-2 and GraphicsMagick before 1.3.24 use uninitialized memory in the RLE decoder, allowing an attacker to leak sensitive information from process memory space, as demonstrated by remote attacks against ImageMagick code in a long-running server process that converts image data on behalf of multiple users. This is caused by a missing initialization step in the ReadRLEImage function in coders/rle.c.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-9098?: ImageMagick before 7.0.5-2 and GraphicsMagick before 1.3.24 use uninitialized memory in the RLE decoder, allowing an attacker to leak sensitive information from process memory space, as demonstrated by remote attacks against ImageMagick code in a long-running server process that converts image data on behalf of multiple users. This is caused by a missing initialization step in the ReadRLEImage function in coders/rle.c.
How severe is CVE-2017-9098?: CVE-2017-9098 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2017-9098 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-9098?: CVE-2017-9098 primarily affects Imagemagick. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-9098?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-9098 published?: CVE-2017-9098 was published on 2017-05-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:imagemagick:imagemagick:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:graphicsmagick:graphicsmagick:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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