Skip to main content
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Craft malicious PSD file
  2. Delivery
    Deliver via email or download
  3. Exploit
    Victim opens file in GIMP
  4. Execution
    Overflow PSD resource-name stack buffer
  5. Impact
    Execute code as local user

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Stack 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.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a user to open an attacker-crafted PSD file in GIMP; the vulnerable code path is the PSD plug-in's image-resource header loader, which is part of standard PSD import and needs no special configuration to be reachable. Concrete limiting factors: the attacker has no network or automatable vector (AV:L), success depends on user interaction (UI:R - the victim must open the file), and any resulting code execution runs in the local context and privileges of the user running GIMP rather than as root or a service account. This is not remote unauthenticated exploitation.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH) is driven entirely by impact (C:H/I:H/A:H), not by ease of exploitation. The vector qualifies this as a local, user-interaction-dependent flaw: AV:L and UI:R mean an attacker cannot reach it over the network or trigger it automatically - a victim must actively open a crafted PSD file in GIMP. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit or PoC reference in the supplied data, so this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis' rather than a confirmed or imminently weaponized threat. The vuln.today decision label is 'this_week' (not act_now/emergency), consistent with a serious-but-not-actively-exploited memory-safety bug. The main signals are coherent rather than conflicting: a high-impact local code-execution bug whose real-world exploitation is gated by social engineering (getting a user to open a malicious image). One gap to note explicitly: EPSS is absent, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be weighed, and no fixed version is stated in the available references. Net: a genuine high-impact issue worth patching on a normal priority cycle, but not a drop-everything emergency given the local vector, required user interaction, and absence of exploitation evidence.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker crafts a malicious PSD file whose image-resource header contains an oversized converted resource name and delivers it to a victim via email, a download, or a shared drive. When the victim opens the file in GIMP, the PSD plug-in copies the name into an undersized fixed stack buffer, overflowing it and causing a crash or potentially arbitrary code execution in the context of the user running GIMP. No public exploit code is identified in the available data.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 30, 2026

Stack-based buffer overflow in GIMP's PSD plug-in image-resource header loader lets a crafted PSD file crash GIMP and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user opening the file. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R) confirms local access and user interaction are required, with no privileges needed, so this is not remote unauthenticated exploitation. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; the 7.8 HIGH score reflects high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact rather than ease of exploitation.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch version is identified in the provided references; monitor https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-119528 and https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/work_items/16799 for a fixed GIMP package and apply the RHEL erratum when it is published. Until then, avoid opening PSD files from untrusted sources, and if PSD import is not required, disable or remove the PSD plug-in to eliminate the vulnerable code path (trade-off: PSD files can no longer be opened). Run GIMP under a sandbox or with least privilege to contain any code execution, recognizing that sandboxing can restrict file access and plug-in behavior. Because exploitation requires the victim to open a crafted file, restrict GIMP use for untrusted PSD content and prefer converting files in a disposable environment.

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

The flaw is a CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow in the PSD plug-in's image resource header loader. When GIMP imports a PSD file, the loader converts an image-resource name and copies it into a fixed-size stack buffer using an incorrect destination size, so a crafted resource name overflows the buffer. The vulnerable path is part of standard PSD import and requires no special configuration, but it is reachable only when a user opens a malicious PSD file (UI:R) with local access (AV:L). CPE data identifies affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 packages; the bug is tracked upstream at GNOME GitLab work item 16799 and in Red Hat Bugzilla 2563900. Successful exploitation runs in the local context of the GIMP process, not as root or a service account.

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

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

File-parsing bug reachable only by opening a crafted PSD, so AV:L and UI:R; no attacker privileges needed (PR:N), and stack overflow yields full local code execution (C/I/A:H).

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

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

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in GIMP. The PSD plug-in’s image resource header loader uses an incorrect destination size when copying a converted resource name into a fixed stack buffer. Opening a crafted PSD file can cause a stack-based buffer overflow, leading to a crash and potentially arbitrary code execution.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity vulnerability in GIMP's PSD plug-in could allow a crafted PSD file to crash the application or execute arbitrary code with the user's privileges. This affects employees who open untrusted image files, potentially leading to data compromise or system downtime. Leadership should prioritize patching and user awareness to mitigate risk.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include restricting GIMP usage to trusted files only, blocking PSD file attachments at the email gateway, and deploying endpoint detection rules for suspicious GIMP process behavior.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 92% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular Linux desktop image editor, limited production server footprint
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 0.2%
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

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

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.

A stack-based buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer located on the stack than it was allocated to hold.

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:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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

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