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%.

Which versions of Sail are affected by CVE-2026-27168?

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.

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

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Adjacent

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Mar 12, 2026 - 22:04 vuln.today

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.

AnalysisAI

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.

Technical ContextAI

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