CVE-2025-31344: 
OpenJDK JDK vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2025-31344) was discovered in giflib through version 5.2.2. The vulnerability exists in the DumpScreen2RGB function of the gif2rgb utility on Linux systems, specifically in the gif2rgb.C file (NVD, OSS Security).

The vulnerability occurs in the DumpScreen2RGB function when accessing the color map through ColorMapEntry. The size of ColorMap is 6 bytes (from 0x602000000030 to 0x602000000036), but when accessing ColorMap->Colors[GifRow[j]], the value of GifRow[j] exceeds the actual number of colors stored. The address pointed to by ColorMapEntry (0x602000000039) goes beyond the allocated memory range for color data, causing out-of-bounds access when accessing ColorMapEntry->Red. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (HIGH) with vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H (OSS Security).

The heap-buffer overflow vulnerability can lead to potential system compromise through local access, with impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and high impact on availability as indicated by the CVSS score. The vulnerability affects the gif2rgb utility, which is shipped with various Linux distributions including Ubuntu (OSS Security).

A patch has been provided by Bernhard Rosenkränzer to address the vulnerability. Some distributions, like Red Hat, have chosen to remove the gif2rgb tool entirely as a mitigation strategy, considering it "old and crappy code" according to the giflib maintainer. Alternatively, users can use ImageMagick or similar tools for GIF to RGB conversion, though there are noted limitations with these alternatives (OSS Security, OpenMandriva Patch).

The vulnerability has generated significant discussion in the security community, with some researchers noting that this issue was previously reported in 2016 but wasn't completely fixed. Sebastian Pipping has highlighted that there are multiple security issues in giflib beyond this CVE, suggesting a need for collaborative repair rather than removal of the affected components (OSS Security).