CVE-2026-52492 in LibTIFF
Summary
by MITRE • 08/24/2026
An integer overflow in the libtiff rgb2ycbcr utility's cvtRaster() function when computing strip buffer sizes can result in an undersized heap allocation and subsequent heap-based buffer overflow during YCbCr conversion of a crafted TIFF image
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2026
The vulnerability resides within the libtiff library, specifically affecting the rgb2ycbcr utility which is responsible for converting RGB color space data to the YCbCr format. This process involves complex raster manipulation where pixel data is read from an input file and written to a new output structure with different chroma subsampling characteristics. The core technical flaw occurs in the cvtRaster() function, which calculates the necessary buffer sizes required to hold the converted image data before allocating memory on the heap. Due to insufficient validation of arithmetic operations during this calculation phase, an integer overflow can occur when processing specific dimensions or strip counts found in a maliciously crafted TIFF file. This miscalculation results in the allocation of a heap buffer that is significantly smaller than the actual amount of data required for the conversion process.
When the subsequent YCbCr conversion routine proceeds to write pixel data into this undersized buffer, it exceeds the allocated memory boundaries, triggering a heap-based buffer overflow. This type of memory corruption allows an attacker who can induce a victim application to open and process a specially crafted TIFF image to overwrite adjacent memory structures on the heap. The immediate operational impact includes potential application crashes due to segmentation faults or corrupted data states. However, in more severe scenarios, this vulnerability enables arbitrary code execution if the attacker can carefully craft the overflow payload to hijack control flow pointers such as function return addresses or virtual table pointers stored within the same memory region. This poses a critical risk to any software that utilizes libtiff for image processing tasks, particularly those handling untrusted input from external sources like email attachments or web uploads.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190 Integer Overflow or Wraparound as the root cause of the improper memory allocation logic. The resulting exploitation technique falls under CWE-122 Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which describes writing data beyond the bounds of a heap allocated buffer. In terms of adversary tactics and techniques, this flaw facilitates initial access through lure files (T1566) leading to execution via local privilege escalation or remote code execution depending on the context in which libtiff is invoked. Attackers may leverage ATT&CK technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution by distributing malicious TIFF images that trigger the overflow when opened by vulnerable image viewing software or web browsers with integrated rendering engines.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate patching and long-term defensive coding practices. The primary remediation is to update libtiff to a version where this integer arithmetic has been corrected, ensuring that buffer size calculations account for potential overflows before memory allocation occurs. Developers integrating libtiff should implement strict input validation checks on image dimensions and strip counts prior invoking conversion functions. Additionally, enabling compiler-based security features such as stack canaries or heap protection mechanisms like Address Sanitizer during development and ASLR in production environments can help mitigate the impact of exploitation attempts. Regular auditing of third-party library usage is essential to ensure that known vulnerabilities are promptly addressed before they can be leveraged by threat actors targeting image processing pipelines.