Which versions of Exiv2 are affected by CVE-2025-26623?

Organizations using Exiv2 should be aware of moderate risk from CVE-2025-26623, a use-after-free vulnerability rated CVSS 5.3. Exploitation could compromise the security of affected deployments.. A patch is available.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2025-26623?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2025-26623. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.3%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2025-26623?

Within 30 days: Identify affected systems running Exiv2 and apply vendor patches as part of regular patch cycle. Monitor vendor channels for patch availability.

Exiv2 CVE-2025-26623

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-26623?

CVE-2025-26623 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.3 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.3%.

MEDIUM

Use After Free (CWE-416)

2025-02-18 security-advisories@github.com

RCE Buffer Overflow Use After Free Memory Corruption Red Hat Exiv2 Suse

5.3

CVSS 4.0

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Scope

Lifecycle Timeline

Patch released

Mar 31, 2026 - 21:13 nvd

Patch available

Analysis Generated

Mar 28, 2026 - 18:27 vuln.today

PoC Detected

Sep 02, 2025 - 21:37 vuln.today

Public exploit code

CVE Published

Feb 18, 2025 - 20:15 nvd

MEDIUM 5.3

DescriptionNVD

Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image metadata. A heap buffer overflow was found in Exiv2 versions v0.28.0 to v0.28.4. Versions prior to v0.28.0, such as v0.27.7, are not affected. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The heap overflow is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to gain code execution, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as fixiso. The bug is fixed in version v0.28.5. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

AnalysisAI

Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image metadata. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability is classified as Use After Free (CWE-416), which allows attackers to access freed memory to execute arbitrary code or crash the application. Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image metadata. A heap buffer overflow was found in Exiv2 versions v0.28.0 to v0.28.4. Versions prior to v0.28.0, such as v0.27.7, are not affected. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The heap overflow is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to gain code execution, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as fixiso. The bug is fixed in version v0.28.5. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. Affected products include: Exiv2.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Use smart pointers or garbage-collected languages. Set pointers to NULL after freeing. Enable memory sanitizers.