CVE-2024-28568

What it actually does

Buffer overflow in the read_iptc_profile() function when parsing TIFF image metadata allows a local attacker to trigger a denial of service by supplying a specially crafted image file.

Why it matters to the business

Systems that process untrusted TIFF images can experience sudden crashes or service outages, reducing availability for image-handling workflows and downstream applications that rely on the affected libraries.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access supplies a malicious TIFF file containing oversized IPTC profile data; when the vulnerable read_iptc_profile() routine processes the file, the overflow occurs and the process terminates.

How to fix it

Upgrade elfutils-devel-static and elfutils-libelf-devel-static on AlmaLinux 8 to version 0.180-1.el8 or later; rebuild any dependent packages against the updated libraries and restart affected services.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm installed package versions match or exceed the fixed releases, test image-processing workflows with known-good TIFF files, and verify that the read_iptc_profile() path no longer crashes on boundary-case inputs.

Typical attack path

1. Place a crafted TIFF image on a system that uses the vulnerable library
2. Invoke an application or script that calls read_iptc_profile() on the file
3. Trigger the buffer overflow leading to immediate process termination

How to detect it

Review application and system logs for unexpected crashes or segmentation faults when processing TIFF files; correlate process termination events with file-access timestamps on image inputs.

What your security team should do

• Apply the listed package updates immediately on all AlmaLinux 8 systems
• Scan build pipelines and containers for the vulnerable library versions
• Restrict local access to image-processing tools until patches are deployed