What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-27168?

CVE-2026-27168 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2026-27168?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2026-27168. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.0%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-27168?

Within 24 hours: Inventory all systems and applications using SAIL library and restrict their network exposure. Within 7 days: Implement input validation and disable XWD image format support where operationally feasible, and evaluate alternative image libraries. Within 30 days: Monitor vendor advisories for patch availability and develop a migration plan to a patched version or alternative solution.

Sail CVE-2026-27168

HIGH

Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122)

2026-02-21 security-advisories@github.com

Buffer Overflow Heap Overflow Sail

8.8

CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory

View

Attack ChainAIDerived

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

Access

Craft malicious XWD image file
Exploit

Set bytes_per_line to exceed buffer
Execution

Trigger heap-based buffer overflow
Impact

Execute arbitrary code

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-122 OWASP Top 10:2025 A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components ASVS 5.0 V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking MITRE ATT&CK 1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list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	Local or adjacent network access required. SAIL library parsing XWD image files with attacker-controlled bytes_per_line value exceeding destination buffer allocation. No authentication or user interaction needed.
Impact	CVSS 8.8 (HIGH). Attack vector: Adjacent Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: None. Public exploit/POC available.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to compromise the affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).

No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

The SAIL image library contains a heap buffer overflow in its XWD file parser that fails to validate the bytes_per_line value read from untrusted files, allowing attackers to trigger out-of-bounds memory writes during image processing. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability affecting all versions of SAIL. No patch is currently available, leaving users of this cross-platform image loading library exposed to potential code execution or denial of service attacks.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 22:04 CVSS 8.8

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.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow). Affects Sail. SAIL is a cross-platform library for loading and saving images with support for animation, metadata, and ICC profiles. All versions are vulnerable to Heap-based Buffer Overflow through the XWD parser's use of the bytes_per_line value. The value os read directly from the file as the read size in io->strict_read(), and is never compared to the actual size of the destination buffer. An attacker can provide an XWD file with an arbitrarily large bytes_per_line, causing a massive write operation beyon

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH

AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

Attack Vector

Adjacent

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

PoC Detected

Mar 02, 2026 - 13:28 vuln.today

Public exploit code

CVE Published

Feb 21, 2026 - 00:16 nvd

HIGH 8.8

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

SAIL is a cross-platform library for loading and saving images with support for animation, metadata, and ICC profiles. All versions are vulnerable to Heap-based Buffer Overflow through the XWD parser's use of the bytes_per_line value. The value os read directly from the file as the read size in io->strict_read(), and is never compared to the actual size of the destination buffer. An attacker can provide an XWD file with an arbitrarily large bytes_per_line, causing a massive write operation beyond the buffer heap allocated for the image pixels. The issue did not have a fix at the time of publication.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A critical heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the SAIL image processing library affecting all versions, with active public exploits available but no vendor patch currently available. Organizations using SAIL for image handling face potential remote code execution risks that could compromise system integrity and data confidentiality.

Business Impact: High

Compensating Controls

Disable XWD image format parsing in SAIL configurations if not business-critical; implement strict input validation and file type verification before processing; isolate SAIL-dependent services on segmented networks with minimal trust relationships; deploy WAF rules to detect and block XWD file uploads; run vulnerable services with minimal privileges and sandboxing; monitor for exploitation attempts targeting image processing endpoints.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.0%

Top 86% exploitable

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

4 sources

Confidence: Medium

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

GitHub

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 Yes

EPSS 0.0%

Patch available No

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

Poc

System Exposure· derived

Controlled

Automatable· derived

Human Impact

High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +44

PoC: +20

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.

Heap Overflow HIGH

A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.