Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in GIMP DDS File Parser
CVE-2026-42170

7.8HIGH

Key Information:

Vendor

Red Hat
Status
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Vendor
CVE Published:
8 August 2026

What is CVE-2026-42170?

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the GIMP DDS file parser that can be exploited through a specifically crafted DDS file. The vulnerability arises when the file's header specifies a D3D9 pixel format but uses a lower bits-per-pixel (bpp) value, resulting in an improperly allocated heap buffer. As a result, an attacker can potentially corrupt heap metadata, leading to unauthorized code execution and instability within the affected GIMP versions.

References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42170
vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHAT
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2461726
issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHAT

CVSS V3.1

Score:
7.8
Severity:
HIGH
Confidentiality:
High
Integrity:
High
Availability:
High
Attack Vector:
Local
Attack Complexity:
Low
Privileges Required:
None
User Interaction:
Required
Scope:
Unchanged

Timeline

  • Vulnerability published

  • Vulnerability Reserved

Credit

Red Hat would like to thank HanTul for reporting this issue.
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