CVE-2026-26981
OpenEXR has heap-buffer-overflow via signed integer underflow in ImfContextInit.cpp
Description
OpenEXR provides the specification and reference implementation of the EXR file format, an image storage format for the motion picture industry. In versions 3.3.0 through 3.3.6 and 3.4.0 through 3.4.4, a heap-buffer-overflow (OOB read) occurs in the `istream_nonparallel_read` function in `ImfContextInit.cpp` when parsing a malformed EXR file through a memory-mapped `IStream`. A signed integer subtraction produces a negative value that is implicitly converted to `size_t`, resulting in a massive length being passed to `memcpy`. Versions 3.3.7 and 3.4.5 contain a patch.
INFO
Published Date :
Feb. 24, 2026, 3:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
Feb. 25, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update OpenEXR to version 3.3.7 or later.
- Update OpenEXR to version 3.4.5 or later.
- Apply relevant security patches provided by the vendor.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-26981 has a 1 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-26981.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-26981 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-26981
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
None
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-26981 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-26981 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Feb. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 3.3.0 up to (excluding) 3.3.7 *cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 3.4.0 up to (excluding) 3.4.5 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/6bb2ddf1068573d073edf81270a015b38cc05cef Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/d2be382758adc3e9ab83a3de35138ec28d93ebd8 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/security/advisories/GHSA-q6vj-wxvf-5m8c Types: Exploit, Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Feb. 24, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description OpenEXR provides the specification and reference implementation of the EXR file format, an image storage format for the motion picture industry. In versions 3.3.0 through 3.3.6 and 3.4.0 through 3.4.4, a heap-buffer-overflow (OOB read) occurs in the `istream_nonparallel_read` function in `ImfContextInit.cpp` when parsing a malformed EXR file through a memory-mapped `IStream`. A signed integer subtraction produces a negative value that is implicitly converted to `size_t`, resulting in a massive length being passed to `memcpy`. Versions 3.3.7 and 3.4.5 contain a patch. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-195 Added Reference https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/6bb2ddf1068573d073edf81270a015b38cc05cef Added Reference https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/d2be382758adc3e9ab83a3de35138ec28d93ebd8 Added Reference https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/security/advisories/GHSA-q6vj-wxvf-5m8c