GIMP
CVE-2026-2045
HIGH
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malicious XWD file
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DeliveryDeliver via email or web lure
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ExploitVictim opens file in GIMP
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ExecutionOut-of-bounds write corrupts heap
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ImpactExecute code as current user
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the victim to open a maliciously crafted XWD (X Window Dump) file in GIMP 3.0.6 - either directly or by being lured to a page that delivers the file (UI:R). The exact trigger is the GIMP XWD import/parsing plug-in processing attacker-controlled header/length values that the code fails to validate. Limiting factors that constrain real-world risk: the attack vector is local (AV:L), not network - there is no unauthenticated remote service to hit; mandatory user interaction is needed; the CVSS also lists PR:L, implying the attacker/victim context already has some local privilege; and XWD is an uncommon format users rarely open, narrowing the realistic lure surface. Successful code execution runs only with the privileges of the user who opened the file (S:U). |
| Impact | Signals are internally consistent and point to a real but socially-gated risk rather than an internet-wormable one. The CVSS vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U with C:H/I:H/A:H - local vector, low complexity, but mandatory user interaction (opening a malicious file), yielding 7.3 High. EPSS is very low at 0.08% (23rd percentile), GIMP is not on CISA KEV, and no POC is referenced, so this is not under active or widespread exploitation. The credible-impact case rests on the ZDI advisory (ZDI-26-119, ZDI-CAN-28265) reported by Trend Micro ZDI, a reputable source, confirming arbitrary code execution. Note one nuance to verify: the CVSS lists PR:L (some privilege), which is slightly unusual for a victim simply opening a file - the more common modeling for file-parser RCE is PR:N/UI:R; this discrepancy is worth confirming with the vendor/ZDI, but it does not change the practical conclusion that exploitation requires tricking a user into opening attacker-controlled content. Net: patch in routine cycles, prioritize systems where users frequently open untrusted images. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malicious .xwd file with header fields that overflow the XWD loader's buffer and emails it as a 'screenshot' or hosts it on a page that prompts the target to open it in GIMP. When the victim opens the file, the out-of-bounds write corrupts heap memory and runs attacker-controlled code in the user's security context. No public exploit is identified at time of analysis, and the local vector plus required user interaction (AV:L/UI:R) mean the attacker must rely on social engineering rather than remote automation. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv5 – Jun 30, 2026
Out-of-bounds write in GIMP 3.0.6's XWD (X Window Dump) image file parser allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the user running GIMP, provided the victim is lured into opening a malicious XWD file or visiting a page that delivers one. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/UI:R) shows this is not a remote-network attack but a user-interaction-driven file-parsing flaw, scored 7.3 (High). There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and EPSS is very low (0.08%, 23rd percentile), consistent with an attack that depends on social engineering rather than mass automation.
Earlier versions of this analysis (4)
Out-of-bounds write code execution affects the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) 3.0.6 when it parses a maliciously crafted XWD (X Window Dump) image file. Because the XWD loader fails to validate user-supplied header/dimension data before writing into an allocated buffer (CWE-787), an attacker who convinces a victim to open a booby-trapped file or visit a page that delivers one can corrupt memory and execute code in the context of the GIMP process. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the EPSS probability is low (0.08%, 23rd percentile); the issue was responsibly disclosed through Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative (ZDI-26-119 / ZDI-CAN-28265).
Arbitrary code execution in GIMP 3.0.6 occurs when the application parses a maliciously crafted XWD (X Window Dump) image file, where missing validation of user-supplied data allows a write past the end of an allocated heap buffer (CWE-787). An attacker who convinces a victim to open a booby-trapped XWD file - or visit a page that delivers one - can run code in the context of the GIMP process. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the EPSS probability is low (0.08%), but the flaw was found and disclosed through Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative (ZDI-CAN-28265 / ZDI-26-119) and a vendor patch is already available.
Out-of-bounds write in GIMP 3.0.6's XWD (X Window Dump) image parser lets an attacker achieve arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a malicious XWD file or visits a page that delivers one. Discovered and reported through Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative (ZDI-26-119, formerly ZDI-CAN-28265), the flaw is fixed upstream and has been picked up by Red Hat and SUSE for their GIMP packages. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and EPSS rates near-term mass exploitation as very low (0.08%, 23rd percentile), consistent with a user-interaction-gated client-side bug rather than a server-side mass target.
GIMP XWD File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of GIMP. [CVSS 7.8 HIGH]
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor patch: on distributions, update GIMP to the fixed package per your platform's advisory - Red Hat users should apply the relevant erratum (e.g., RHSA-2026:4173 / RHSA-2026:5113 / RHSA-2026:5388-5391 / RHSA-2026:5434-5437 at https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5113) and SUSE users SUSE-SU-2026:0684 (https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:0684/); for source/Flatpak builds, take the release incorporating GNOME GitLab commit 68b27dfb1cbd9b3f22d7fa624dbab8647ee5f275. Until patched, the practical compensating control is to not open XWD files from untrusted sources and to treat inbound image files as untrusted - XWD is a niche screen-dump format rarely needed in normal workflows, so blocking or quarantining .xwd attachments at the mail/web gateway has minimal operational impact. Because exploitation requires the user to open the malicious file, user awareness (do not open unexpected image files) and running GIMP without elevated privileges meaningfully reduce blast radius; sandboxing GIMP (e.g., via the Flatpak sandbox) further limits the impact of successful code execution at the cost of some filesystem-access friction.
Affects your stack
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Technical ContextAI · show details
GIMP is a cross-platform open-source raster image editor. The vulnerable code path is the loader that parses XWD files - the native screen-dump format produced by the X11 xwd utility - which carries a header describing image geometry, color depth, and colormap that the loader uses to size and populate buffers. The root cause is CWE-787 (Out-of-Bounds Write): the loader fails to properly validate attacker-controlled header/length fields, so crafted dimensions or colormap counts cause a write past the end of a heap-allocated buffer, corrupting adjacent memory. The single CPE in scope, cpe:2.3:a:gimp:gimp:3.0.6, identifies the GIMP 3.0.x line as affected; the upstream fix is GNOME GitLab commit 68b27dfb1cbd9b3f22d7fa624dbab8647ee5f275, which adds the missing bounds checking in the XWD plug-in.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
File-parser RCE triggered by a victim opening a crafted XWD file: local vector and required user interaction, but no prior privilege needed (PR:N), with full code execution giving high C/I/A.
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (trendmicro).
CVSS VectorVendor: trendmicro
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
GIMP XWD File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of GIMP. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file.
The specific flaw exists within the parsing of XWD files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-28265.
Zero Day Initiative Advisories
Executive ViewAI
GIMP 3.0.6 contains a code execution vulnerability in its image parser that allows local attackers to compromise user systems through malicious image files. Organizations with GIMP deployed should prioritize patching to prevent unauthorized access to user endpoints.
Apply vendor patch. Interim mitigations: educate users to reject XWD image files from external sources; disable XWD parser in GIMP if unused; restrict image file sharing to internal, vetted sources only.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
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 buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org
Buffer overflow in the readstr_upto function in plug-ins/script-fu/tinyscheme/scheme.c in GIMP 2.6.12 and earlier, and p
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in file-xwd.c in the X Window Dump (XWD) plug-in in GIMP 2.8.2 allow remote attack
In GIMP 2.8.22, there is a heap-based buffer overflow in read_channel_data in plug-ins/common/file-psp.c. Rated high sev
fits-io.c in GIMP before 2.8.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and applic
An issue in gimp_layer_invalidate_boundary of GNOME GIMP 2.10.30 allows attackers to trigger an unhandled exception via
GIMP 2.10.30 and 2.99.10 are vulnerable to Buffer Overflow. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no a
GIMP through 2.10.2 makes g_get_tmp_dir calls to establish temporary filenames, which may result in a filename that alre
Critical remote code execution vulnerability in GIMP's ICO file parser caused by an integer overflow (CWE-190) that lack
Remote code execution in GIMP 3.0.6 allows attackers to run arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a malicious P
Remote code execution in GIMP 3.2.0-rc1 lets attackers run arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a malicious IC
Use-after-free vulnerability in the xcf_load_image function in app/xcf/xcf-load.c in GIMP allows remote attackers to cau
Heap-based buffer overflow in GIMP's TIF file parser enables remote code execution when a user opens a crafted TIFF imag
Same weakness CWE-787 – Out-of-bounds Write
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: High| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Liberty Linux 8 | Fixed |
| SUSE Liberty Linux 9 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Fixed |
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB