CVE-2023-3428 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in the TIFF image decoder within the coders/tiff.c source file of ImageMagick, a widely used image processing library. This vulnerability affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 distributions that include ImageMagick. The flaw arises when processing specially crafted TIFF files, where improper handling of image data leads to a heap overflow condition. This can cause the targeted application to crash, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability requires local attacker access to the system and the ability to convince a user or process to open a malicious TIFF file. No privileges are required to exploit this vulnerability, and no user interaction beyond opening the file is necessary. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity, as it does not allow code execution or data leakage, but it compromises availability by crashing the application. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.2, reflecting a medium severity level due to the local attack vector and limited impact. No public exploits have been reported, and no patches or updates are linked in the provided data, though Red Hat typically issues advisories and fixes for such vulnerabilities. Organizations running legacy RHEL 6 systems with ImageMagick should assess exposure and apply mitigations to prevent denial of service incidents.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-3428 is denial of service on systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 with ImageMagick installed. This could disrupt business-critical applications that process TIFF images, potentially affecting document management, imaging workflows, or automated processing systems. Since the vulnerability requires local access, the risk is higher in environments where users have shell or desktop access to vulnerable systems. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact limits the risk of data breaches or unauthorized modifications. However, availability disruptions could lead to operational delays, especially in sectors relying on legacy RHEL 6 deployments such as government agencies, manufacturing, or financial institutions. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, particularly as attackers may develop exploits over time. Organizations using containerized or virtualized environments with RHEL 6 images may also be affected if ImageMagick is present. Overall, the impact is moderate but should not be overlooked in environments with critical uptime requirements.

To mitigate CVE-2023-3428, European organizations should first verify if Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 systems in their environment have ImageMagick installed and are used to process TIFF files. Since no patch links are provided, organizations should monitor Red Hat security advisories for official updates or backported fixes. In the interim, restrict local user access to vulnerable systems to trusted personnel only and implement strict file handling policies to prevent opening untrusted or unsolicited TIFF files. Employ application whitelisting or sandboxing to isolate ImageMagick processes and limit the impact of crashes. Consider disabling TIFF support in ImageMagick if not required, or replacing ImageMagick with alternative image processing tools without this vulnerability. Regularly audit and update legacy systems, planning migration away from RHEL 6 to supported versions with active security maintenance. Additionally, implement monitoring to detect abnormal application crashes or denial of service symptoms related to image processing. These targeted steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, application isolation, and legacy system management specific to this vulnerability.