CVE-2026-114111 in Sharp
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
sharp before 0.35.5 bundles a librsvg dependency affected by a memory-related vulnerability (CVE-2026-96889) that, under certain runtime-specific conditions, can lead to code execution on glibc-based Linux. An attacker can supply a crafted SVG image that, when decoded by sharp through librsvg, may result in arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-96889 represents a critical security risk within the Sharp image processing library for Node.js, specifically affecting versions prior to 0.35.5. This issue stems from an insecure dependency on librsvg, a widely used rendering engine for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files. The core of the problem lies in how Sharp delegates SVG parsing and rendering tasks to this underlying C-based library. When Sharp processes user-supplied or untrusted SVG content, it relies entirely on the safety guarantees provided by librsvg. If that dependency contains a memory-related flaw, such as a buffer overflow or use-after-free condition, the integrity of the entire processing pipeline is compromised. This architectural reliance means that vulnerabilities in low-level rendering libraries can directly translate into high-severity exploits within higher-level application frameworks like Node.js applications utilizing Sharp for image manipulation tasks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption mechanisms inherent to C/C++ programming languages where manual memory management is required but not strictly enforced by the runtime environment under all conditions. Specifically, when librsvg encounters a crafted SVG file containing malformed data structures or specific edge-case inputs during decoding, it may fail to properly validate buffer boundaries or object lifecycles. This failure leads to undefined behavior in memory operations. On systems utilizing glibc-based Linux distributions, which are prevalent in server environments and cloud infrastructure, these memory corruption errors can be exploited with high precision. Attackers can craft SVG payloads designed to overwrite specific memory addresses, manipulate control flow pointers, or corrupt heap metadata. The exploitation of such flaws allows an attacker to gain arbitrary code execution capabilities within the context of the process running Sharp.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote code execution without authentication in many deployment scenarios. Since image processing services often accept uploads from end-users or external APIs, attackers can trigger this flaw simply by submitting a malicious SVG file through any interface that feeds into Sharp. Once executed, the attacker gains full control over the application process. This level of access enables a wide range of subsequent attacks including data exfiltration, lateral movement within internal networks, installation of persistent backdoors, and complete compromise of the underlying host system if privilege escalation is possible. The risk is particularly acute in microservices architectures where image processing is performed on-demand for user-generated content, as each upload represents a potential attack vector that bypasses traditional web application firewalls which may not inspect binary payloads or SVG internals deeply enough to detect such crafted inputs.
Mitigation strategies must focus primarily on immediate dependency updates and secondary defensive measures. The primary remediation step is to upgrade the Sharp library to version 0.35.5 or later, where the underlying librsvg dependency has been patched or replaced with a secure alternative that resolves this memory corruption issue. Organizations should audit their package-lock files or yarn.lock dependencies to ensure no older versions of Sharp are being pulled in transitively by other modules. In addition to updating software, implementing strict input validation and sanitization for SVG uploads is recommended as a defense-in-depth measure. This includes validating file headers against known malicious signatures, restricting allowed tags within the SVG structure using libraries like DOMPurify or similar server-side validators, and configuring resource limits such as memory caps and timeouts to limit the blast radius of any potential exploitation attempt. Furthermore, running image processing services in isolated containers with minimal privileges can significantly reduce the impact if a vulnerability is successfully exploited.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-120 Buffer Overflow without bounds checking or CWE-416 Use After Free depending on the specific memory corruption mechanism triggered by librsvg. In terms of attack tactics, it maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution if targeting client-side viewers, but more critically T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter or T1068 Privilege Escalation when considering the server-side execution context typical in Node.js environments. The exploitation chain typically involves initial access via file upload followed by command execution through memory corruption techniques that bypass standard security controls due to the low-level nature of the flaw. Security teams should prioritize patching this dependency immediately given its direct path to remote code execution and widespread adoption of Sharp in modern web development stacks. Regular vulnerability scanning tools configured to detect outdated dependencies with known CVEs are essential for maintaining visibility into such risks before they can be leveraged by adversaries.