Skip to main content

Gimp CVE-2026-2048

HIGH
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-02-20 zdi-disclosures@trendmicro.com
RCE Buffer Overflow Memory Corruption Gimp
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: trendmicro
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Craft malicious XWD file
  2. Delivery
    User opens file in GIMP
  3. Exploit
    Parser fails to validate XWD header
  4. Execution
    Out-of-bounds write overwrites memory
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code with user privileges

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-787
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A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components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.

Sign in to read
Exploitation Conditions

GIMP must open a specially crafted XWD image file. User interaction required to load the malicious XWD file into GIMP. Affects default GIMP installations with XWD format support enabled.
Impact

CVSS 7.8 (HIGH). Attack vector: Local. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: Required. Exploitable via remote/network.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of GIMP.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

GIMP is vulnerable to out-of-bounds memory write during XWD file parsing due to insufficient input validation, enabling arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious image file. This high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) affects local attackers who can craft specially crafted XWD files to corrupt memory and execute code with the privileges of the GIMP process. No patch is currently available.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 22:04 CVSS 7.8

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

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch. Enable ASLR, DEP/NX, and stack canaries where possible.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Sign in to check
Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write). Affects Gimp. 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 all

Know when Gimp gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
Continue with Google Continue with GitHub

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (trendmicro) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SUSE HIGH
Red Hat 7.8 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (trendmicro).

CVSS VectorVendor: trendmicro

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch released
Apr 09, 2026 - 14:30 nvd
Patch available
CVE Published
Feb 20, 2026 - 23:16 nvd
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.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-28591.

Zero Day Initiative Advisories

ZDI-26-121 GIMP XWD File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Feb 2026

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

GIMP users face a critical remote code execution risk through malicious XWD image files, with no patch currently available. Organizations using GIMP for image processing should immediately implement mitigations to prevent potential system compromise and unauthorized access.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Disable XWD file format support in GIMP preferences; restrict GIMP execution to sandboxed or isolated environments; implement file type filtering at email gateways and file-sharing platforms to block .xwd files; enforce application whitelisting on systems running GIMP; monitor for suspicious GIMP process behavior; consider temporary replacement with patched alternative image editing software.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 77% exploitable
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium
NVD CVE.org EPSS Vendor 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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Buffer Overflow HIGH

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 HIGH

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 CRITICAL

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

cpe:2.3:a:gimp:gimp:3.2.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*

More in Gimp

View all
CVE-2012-2763 HIGH POC
7.5 Jul 12

Buffer overflow in the readstr_upto function in plug-ins/script-fu/tinyscheme/scheme.c in GIMP 2.6.12 and earlier, and p
CVE-2012-5576 HIGH POC
7.5 Dec 18

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
CVE-2017-17789 HIGH POC
7.8 Dec 20

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
CVE-2012-3236 MEDIUM POC
4.3 Jul 12

fits-io.c in GIMP before 2.8.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and applic
CVE-2022-32990 MEDIUM POC
5.5 Jun 24

An issue in gimp_layer_invalidate_boundary of GNOME GIMP 2.10.30 allows attackers to trigger an unhandled exception via

CVE-2022-30067 MEDIUM POC
5.5 May 17

GIMP 2.10.30 and 2.99.10 are vulnerable to Buffer Overflow. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no a
CVE-2018-12713 CRITICAL
9.1 Jun 24

GIMP through 2.10.2 makes g_get_tmp_dir calls to establish temporary filenames, which may result in a filename that alre
CVE-2025-5473 HIGH
8.8 Jun 06

Critical remote code execution vulnerability in GIMP's ICO file parser caused by an integer overflow (CWE-190) that lack
CVE-2026-2044 HIGH
8.8 Feb 20

Remote code execution in GIMP 3.0.6 allows attackers to run arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a malicious P
CVE-2026-0797 HIGH
8.8 Feb 20

Remote code execution in GIMP 3.2.0-rc1 lets attackers run arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a malicious IC
CVE-2016-4994 HIGH
7.8 Jul 12

Use-after-free vulnerability in the xcf_load_image function in app/xcf/xcf-load.c in GIMP allows remote attackers to cau
CVE-2026-18307 HIGH
7.8 Aug 20

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 all
CVE-2015-3113 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2011-2462 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2012-1889 HIGH POC
8.8
CVE-2010-3333 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2014-1761 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2009-3129 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2021-1732 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2013-3346 CRITICAL POC
9.8

Same technique RCE

View all
CVE-2021-44228 CRITICAL POC
10.0
CVE-2017-7269 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2022-47966 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2012-4681 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2023-3519 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2015-5119 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2016-4117 CRITICAL POC
9.8

Vendor 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

References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:4173 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5113 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5388 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5389 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5390 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5391 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5434 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5435 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5436 ADVISORY https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5437 ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/?id.346907 ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:0684/ REF https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-2048 REF https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2441527 REF https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/merge_requests/2586/diffs?commit_id=57712677007793118388c5be6fb8231f22a2b341 REF https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-2048.json REF https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-26-121/

Search Externally

GitHub PoC Exploit-DB PacketStorm Snyk Rapid7 Nuclei Templates Trickest PoC
Back

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy