Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-33908 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) vulnerability in Imagemagick Imagemagick. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked at the 41th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-33908 is a stack exhaustion vulnerability in ImageMagick, an open-source software suite for image editing and manipulation. In versions prior to 7.1.2-19 and 6.9.13-44, the Magick component processes XML files by recursively freeing memory in the XML tree via the DestroyXMLTree() function without imposing a depth limit. This allows deeply nested XML structures to exhaust stack memory, leading to a denial-of-service condition. The issue is classified under CWE-674 and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5.
The vulnerability can be exploited by any remote attacker with network access, requiring low attack complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction. An attacker simply needs to supply a crafted image file containing deeply nested XML structures to an ImageMagick instance for processing, triggering recursive memory deallocation that overflows the stack and crashes the application, resulting in high-impact availability disruption with no confidentiality or integrity effects.
Mitigation is available through upgrades to ImageMagick versions 6.9.13-44 or 7.1.2-19, where the issue has been fixed. Official resources include the GitHub security advisory at GHSA-fwvm-ggf6-2p4x, the patching commit ccdc01180276aa2cb3d4a32a611aa4f417061cd8, and the release page for 7.1.2-19. A related update appears in Magick.NET version 14.12.0.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-22110
Vulnerability Data
ImageMagick is free and open-source software used for editing and manipulating digital images. In versions below both 7.1.2-19 and 6.9.13-44, Magick frees the memory of the XML tree via the `DestroyXMLTree()` function; however, this process is executed recursively with no…
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depth limit imposed. When Magick processes an XML file with deeply nested structures, it will exhaust the stack memory, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. This issue has been fixed in versions 6.9.13-44 and 7.1.2-19.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Secure configuration settings can disable DTD processing or cap entity expansion in XML parsers.
Input validation can reject or constrain data that would otherwise drive unbounded recursive calls.
Least-functionality configuration can prohibit unsafe DTD features or external entity resolution.
DoS protection mechanisms limit the resource-exhaustion impact of uncontrolled recursion without eliminating the flaw.
System monitoring can observe anomalous resource consumption that signals runaway recursion after it begins.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of improper recursive entity handling in XML code.
Hardened configuration baselines can disable or limit DTD entity expansion in XML parsers.
Runtime monitoring of compute resources can detect excessive consumption caused by uncontrolled recursion.
Vulnerability identification processes can discover and record uncontrolled recursion flaws before deployment.
Capacity monitoring and resource provisioning can absorb or limit the impact of runaway recursion.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect excessive recursion via static analysis or fuzzing.
Secure development life cycle requires controls that prevent uncontrolled recursion through design and code review.
Application security requirements can mandate recursion limits or stack-depth checks.
Secure system architecture principles include resource-management and input-validation rules that limit recursion.
Secure coding standards directly prohibit or constrain recursive constructs that could exhaust stack or memory.
Capacity management includes monitoring and limits that mitigate resource exhaustion from runaway recursion.