Gimp: integer overflow in pcx loader (planes=4) leads to heap overflow on 32-bit
Published Aug 24, 2026
7.0
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.28%
Description
A flaw was found in the file-pcx plugin in GIMP, affecting 32-bit builds only. When processing a PCX image file, the plugin calculates memory allocation sizes based on the image dimensions and the number of color planes. If a crafted file sets the number of planes to 4 alongside sufficiently large dimensions, the calculation exceeds the 32-bit integer limit and overflows, resulting in an undersized heap-based buffer allocation. This integer overflow issue results in a heap-based buffer overflow when the plugin subsequently writes image data into the undersized buffer, causing memory corruption, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or a denial of service.
Affected products
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
gimp
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
gimp
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gimp:2.8/gimp
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
gimp
Not affected
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | gimp | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | gimp | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gimp:2.8/gimp | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | gimp | Not affected | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Vendor solution
To mitigate this vulnerability, do not open PCX files from untrusted sources with GIMP.
Red Hat statement
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to convince a user to process a specially crafted PCX image with GIMP, reducing the likelihood of exploitation. However, successful exploitation may potentially lead to arbitrary code execution or a denial of service. Default Red Hat Enterprise Linux security features, including SELinux enforcement, Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and NX (No-Execute) stack protection, significantly increase the difficulty of achieving arbitrary code execution, limiting the impact of this vulnerability. Due to this reason, this flaw has been rated with an important severity.
Red Hat mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, do not open PCX files from untrusted sources with GIMP.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v2.0 score for this CVE.
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
CISA SSVC (Vulnrichment)
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization from CISA ADP.
Exploitation
PoCAutomatable
NoTechnical Impact
TotalDecision
n/aAssessed Aug 24, 2026 · SSVC 2.0.3
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
Aug–Oct 2026- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v5
Table of values (2 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 0.28% (0.00281) | 18.54th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Aug 25, 2026 | 0.14% (0.00137) | 3.33th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
References (5)
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-78465 vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATVendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2522057 issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATIssue TrackingVendor Advisory
- https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/work_items/16578 exploitIssue TrackingVendor AdvisoryMitigation
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78465
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-78465
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-78465 | vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATVendor Advisory | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2522057 | issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATIssue TrackingVendor Advisory | |
| https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/work_items/16578 | exploitIssue TrackingVendor AdvisoryMitigation | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78465 | ||
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-78465 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.