OpenImageIO CVE-2026-43904

Requires victim user interaction to open or process a specially crafted Softimage .pic file (UI:A) using an application built against vulnerable OpenImageIO library versions prior to 3.0.18.0 or 3.1.13.0. The attacker must have local access (AV:L) to place the malicious file where the victim will encounter it - shared filesystem, email, removable media, or compromised asset repository. Exploitation succeeds only when the .pic file triggers RLE decompression code paths at softimageinput.cpp:469 (mixed RLE) or :345 (pure RLE), not the correctly-validated raw packet path (line 403). No special application configuration required beyond default OpenImageIO .pic format support being enabled. Limiting factor: local-only attack vector means remote exploitation requires prior foothold or social engineering to deliver malicious file, and user must actively open it rather than passive network exposure.

CVSS 4.0 score of 8.4 reflects high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) but requires local access and user interaction (AV:L/UI:A), substantially limiting attack surface compared to network-exploitable vulnerabilities. The attack complexity is low (AC:L/AT:N) with no privileges required (PR:N), meaning any local user can trigger it by convincing a victim to open a malicious .pic file. No scope change (SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) confines impact to the vulnerable component. Real-world risk depends heavily on deployment context: VFX studios processing untrusted image assets face higher exposure than isolated rendering farms with controlled inputs. The 65,535-byte overflow is significant enough for code execution or denial-of-service but requires precise heap manipulation. EPSS score unavailable limits quantitative exploitation probability assessment. Absence from CISA KEV and no public POC mention suggests no confirmed active exploitation, though the detailed file location disclosure (softimageinput.cpp:469, :345) in the GitHub advisory lowers exploit development barrier for sophisticated attackers. This is a legitimate memory corruption risk requiring prioritization in environments processing external .pic files, but not an internet-facing emergency given the local attack vector.

An attacker crafts a malicious Softimage .pic file with manipulated RLE run-length values exceeding scanline boundaries and delivers it via shared network storage, email attachment, or compromised asset library. When a VFX artist opens the file in an application using vulnerable OpenImageIO (e.g., rendering tool, image viewer, pipeline script), the unclamped run-length triggers heap buffer overflow during RLE decompression. With 65,535 bytes of controlled overflow, the attacker corrupts adjacent heap structures to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the rendering process or causes application crash for denial-of-service.