GIMP CVE-2026-18301

The target must actively open the malicious PSD file in GIMP 3.2.2 - no special GIMP configuration, plugin, or non-default feature needs to be enabled, as PSD file parsing is built-in core functionality. The attacker requires no account or credentials on the target system (PR:N). Exploitation is constrained by the mandatory user interaction requirement (UI:R): the attacker must socially engineer the victim into opening the crafted file, typically via phishing, a malicious download link, or a compromised asset-sharing platform. Code execution is bounded to the GIMP process running as the current user; no direct privilege escalation to root or other users is implied by the vulnerability itself. Exploitation is further limited to platforms where GIMP 3.2.2 is installed - it is not a server-reachable service.

The CVSS 7.8 score is consistent with a client-side code execution vulnerability: AV:L reflects the file-open exploitation mechanism, AC:L indicates no race condition or special configuration is required, PR:N confirms the attacker needs no account or credential on the target system, and UI:R captures the mandatory victim interaction. C:H/I:H/A:H reflects total compromise of the GIMP process. No EPSS score was included in available intelligence data, which limits probabilistic exploitation forecasting. CISA KEV status is absent, and no proof-of-concept code has been identified, meaning active or widespread exploitation is not confirmed at this time. An upstream fix has been submitted to the GNOME GitLab repository but a formally released patch version has not been independently confirmed, leaving users on GIMP 3.2.2 without a clear upgrade path. Overall, this is a genuine high-severity risk for users regularly opening PSD files from untrusted sources, but the file-open social engineering requirement meaningfully constrains opportunistic mass exploitation.

An attacker engineers a malicious PSD file crafted with dimension or channel count values designed to trigger the integer overflow in GIMP's PSD parsing routine. The file is delivered to a target graphic designer or photographer via a phishing email, malicious download site, or poisoned asset library, and when the victim opens it in GIMP 3.2.2, the arithmetic overflow produces an undersized heap allocation, heap corruption follows, and the attacker achieves code execution running with the victim's user-level privileges.