CVE-2026-112258 in GIMP
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2026
A flaw was found in GIMP. The XCF loader can leave a dangling pointer in the linked-channels list when a linked channel is later destroyed via a selection property. Opening a crafted XCF file can cause a use-after-free in the main GIMP process, leading to a crash and potentially arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2026
The vulnerability identified within the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) represents a critical memory safety issue located specifically within the XCF file format loader. This component is responsible for parsing and loading image data stored in GIMP's native proprietary binary format, known as XCF. The core of the flaw lies in how the application manages linked channels during the initialization phase when processing these files. Linked channels are a feature that allows multiple color channels to be manipulated simultaneously, maintaining synchronization between them. However, the implementation fails to properly manage the lifecycle and pointer references associated with these linked structures under specific conditions involving selection properties.
The technical root cause is classified as a use-after-free vulnerability, which corresponds directly to CWE-416 in the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. This error occurs when the XCF loader creates a list of linked channels but does not correctly update or nullify pointers after one of those channels is destroyed via a selection property change. Consequently, the application retains a dangling pointer that references memory previously allocated for the channel object and subsequently freed by the system's memory manager. When the main GIMP process attempts to access this linked-channels list later in its execution flow, it dereferences this invalid address rather than checking for validity first. This action triggers undefined behavior within the program's runtime environment.
From an operational perspective, exploiting this vulnerability requires a user or automated script to open a specially crafted XCF file designed to trigger the specific sequence of channel linking and subsequent destruction via selection properties. Upon opening such a maliciously constructed file, the use-after-free condition is activated immediately during the loading process. The immediate consequence for most users will be an application crash due to segmentation faults resulting from accessing invalid memory addresses. However, in more sophisticated attack scenarios where the attacker has control over the contents of the freed memory region or can manipulate heap layout through additional inputs, this flaw could potentially lead to arbitrary code execution. This elevates the risk profile significantly beyond a simple denial-of-service event, allowing for remote code execution if combined with other exploitation techniques such as heap spraying or specific browser-based delivery mechanisms in web contexts where GIMP might be embedded.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers Exploitation for Client Execution, particularly when the vector involves tricking a user into opening a malicious document file. The attack path typically relies on social engineering to persuade the victim to open the crafted XCF file using GIMP or any other application that utilizes vulnerable versions of the underlying image processing libraries if they are shared across different software suites.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action should be taken by updating GIMP and all related dependencies to the latest stable release where the memory management logic for linked channels has been corrected. Developers must ensure that pointer invalidation occurs consistently whenever a channel object is destroyed, regardless of whether the destruction was triggered directly or via side effects like selection property changes. Security testing procedures should include fuzzing tests specifically targeting XCF file parsing with edge cases involving complex layer and channel structures to detect similar memory safety issues before they reach production environments. Additionally, enabling compiler-based protections such as Address Sanitizer during development builds can help identify these types of errors earlier in the software lifecycle.