CVE-2026-62438 in GIMP
Summary
by MITRE • 10/17/2026
A flaw was found in GIMP. An attacker can cause a Denial of Service (DoS) or potentially disclose sensitive memory contents by convincing a user to open or preview a specially crafted Bohemia Interactive (PAA) texture file. Due to an integer overflow when calculating image dimensions during file decompression, the application allocates an undersized memory buffer. Subsequent processing reads memory past the buffer boundary, terminating the plug-in process unexpectedly.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/17/2026
The vulnerability identified in GIMP represents a critical security flaw within its handling of Bohemia Interactive PAA texture files, specifically affecting the decompression logic used for these proprietary image formats. This issue stems from an integer overflow that occurs during the calculation of image dimensions when processing specially crafted input data. In software development, integer overflows are particularly dangerous because they can lead to unexpected behavior in memory management routines. When GIMP attempts to parse a maliciously constructed PAA file, it fails to correctly validate or cap the calculated width and height values before proceeding with resource allocation. This miscalculation results in the application allocating a memory buffer that is significantly smaller than what is actually required for storing the decompressed image data. The root cause lies in the lack of robust bounds checking during the arithmetic operations involved in determining the size of the output buffer, allowing an attacker to manipulate these values into a state where they wrap around or underflow, thereby tricking the application into believing it needs far less memory than is actually necessary for safe processing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, primarily manifesting as a Denial of Service condition but with potential implications for data confidentiality depending on the specific execution context and compiler optimizations. Because the allocated buffer is undersized relative to the actual amount of decompressed data being written into it, subsequent memory write operations exceed the boundaries of the allocated region. This out-of-bounds write corrupts adjacent memory structures or triggers a segmentation fault within the plug-in process that handles image decoding. In most standard configurations, this results in the immediate termination of the GIMP application or its associated rendering threads, effectively denying service to legitimate users who rely on the software for image editing and analysis. The crash is deterministic when triggered by the crafted file, making it a reliable vector for disrupting workflows or potentially causing instability in systems where GIMP is integrated into larger pipelines that expect stable process behavior.
Beyond simple application crashes, there exists a potential risk of sensitive memory disclosure if the out-of-bounds read operations occur before the write corruption causes an immediate crash, although the primary description emphasizes termination due to buffer boundary violations during processing. If the vulnerability allows for reading past the allocated buffer into adjacent heap or stack memory without immediately triggering a fault, it could potentially expose internal application state, user data, or cryptographic keys stored in nearby memory locations. This aspect aligns with CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound) as the underlying technical flaw and CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) regarding the consequence of that miscalculation on memory safety. The exploitation scenario typically involves social engineering, where an attacker convinces a victim to open or preview a maliciously crafted PAA file within GIMP. This highlights the importance of input validation in applications that handle untrusted media files from external sources.
To mitigate this vulnerability and similar risks associated with image processing libraries, developers must implement strict integer overflow checks before performing any memory allocation based on calculated dimensions. Validating that width multiplied by height does not exceed a safe maximum value is essential to prevent undersized buffer allocations. Additionally, employing static analysis tools and fuzzing techniques during the development lifecycle can help identify such arithmetic errors early in the software production process. For end-users, it is advisable to keep GIMP updated with the latest patches released by maintainers who have addressed this specific integer overflow issue. Furthermore, running image processing applications within sandboxed environments or using restricted user privileges can limit the potential impact of a successful exploit, reducing the risk of system-wide compromise even if an application crash occurs. This incident underscores the critical need for rigorous input validation and memory safety practices in multimedia software to protect against both denial-of-service attacks and more sophisticated data exfiltration attempts.