Threats / ImageMagick / CVE-2016-3714
CVE-2016-3714
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
ImageMagick vulnerability
ImageMagick fails to properly validate input in multiple coders (EPHEMERAL, HTTPS, MVG, MSL, TEXT, SHOW, WIN, PLT), allowing remote code execution through shell metacharacters in crafted images.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A remote attacker can execute arbitrary code by submitting a specially crafted image file that exploits improper input validation in ImageMagick's coder modules, leading to complete system compromise.
CISA KEV Yes · 2024-09-094EPSS 0.97485 (verify live)5Exploit Weaponized · public PoC6CVSS 8.4 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Impact: total3
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
2 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2024-09-09).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.97485 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 8.4 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: ImageMagick, ImageMagick. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-20 Improper Input Validation.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 3049 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
Public exploit available
Public exploit tooling is catalogued for this CVE (a functional/weaponized public exploit). Catalog entries: Metasploit module. We link the catalog page(s) only — no payload or code is hosted or restated here.Link, never host — the catalog page is the source; basicsecurity.net does not redistribute payloads.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft an image file containing shell metacharacters designed to break out of the coder's parsing context.
Business
An attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the ImageMagick process.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I upload or reference this malicious image through a web application or service that processes images using ImageMagick.
Business
The vulnerability is triggered during routine image processing, bypassing application-level security controls.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I achieve remote code execution on the target system by exploiting the lack of input sanitization in affected coders.
Business
The organization faces data breach, service disruption, lateral movement within infrastructure, and potential ransomware deployment.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05