Libpng
CVE-2013-6954
MEDIUM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Impact | CVSS score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available. EPSS exploitation probability: 3.55%. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote attacker could crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. |
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Alert meAnalysisAI
The png_do_expand_palette function in libpng before 1.6.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via (1) a PLTE chunk of zero bytes or. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
RemediationAI
A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Check pointers before dereferencing. Use static analysis tools to detect null pointer paths.
Affects your stack
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Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability is classified as NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which allows attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. The png_do_expand_palette function in libpng before 1.6.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via (1) a PLTE chunk of zero bytes or (2) a NULL palette, related to pngrtran.c and pngset.c. Affected products include: Libpng. Version information: before 1.6.8.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
DescriptionCVE.org
The png_do_expand_palette function in libpng before 1.6.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via (1) a PLTE chunk of zero bytes or (2) a NULL palette, related to pngrtran.c and pngset.c.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org
Buffer overflow in the png_read_IDAT_data function in pngrutil.c in libpng before 1.5.21 and 1.6.x before 1.6.16 allows
Denial of service (with limited memory disclosure) in libpng before 1.6.55 lets an attacker supply a specially crafted b
Integer underflow in the png_check_keyword function in pngwutil.c in libpng 0.90 through 0.99, 1.0.x before 1.0.66, 1.1.
LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
png_create_info_struct in png.c in libpng 1.6.36 has a memory leak, as demonstrated by pngcp. Rated medium severity (CVS
An issue has been found in libpng 1.6.34. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable,
Libpng versions 1.6.51-1.6.53 contain a heap buffer over-read in the simplified API function png_image_finish_read when
Buffer Overflow vulnerability in libpng 1.6.43-1.6.46 allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service via png_creat
Buffer Overflow vulnerability in libpng 1.6.43-1.6.46 allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service via the pngim
Heap-based buffer overflow in the png_combine_row function in libpng before 1.5.21 and 1.6.x before 1.6.16, when running
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB