Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
File must be opened locally (AV:L), no prior privileges required but active user interaction is mandatory (UI:R); full H/H/H impact reflects heap overflow enabling arbitrary code execution.
Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionNVD
A flaw was found in the GIMP image manipulation program, specifically within its Seattle Filmworks file loader. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted Seattle Filmworks file. This could lead to a heap overflow, allowing the attacker to write several kilobytes of controlled data beyond the intended memory buffer. Such an overflow can result in memory corruption, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or a denial of service.
AnalysisAI
Heap overflow in GIMP's Seattle Filmworks file loader allows an attacker who tricks a user into opening a specially crafted SFW file to write several kilobytes of attacker-controlled data beyond the intended buffer, resulting in memory corruption that can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service. Affected platforms confirmed via CPE data are Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 through 9 with GIMP installed. No public exploit code has been identified and this CVE is not listed in CISA's KEV catalog, but the high CVSS 7.8 score reflects the full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact achievable once a victim is socially engineered into opening the malicious file.
Technical ContextAI
The root cause is CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), a classic heap overflow condition in GIMP's parser for the Seattle Filmworks (SFW) legacy image format - originally associated with the Seattle FilmWorks photo-by-mail scanning service, now an obsolete format. When GIMP processes a malformed SFW file, the loader writes kilobytes of attacker-controlled data past the allocated heap buffer boundary, corrupting adjacent heap metadata, function pointers, or object fields. This type of CWE-787 condition is a well-understood exploitation primitive that can be leveraged for reliable code execution given sufficient controlled write length. CPE data confirms affected products are GIMP as shipped on cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6 through 9. The upstream issue is tracked at https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/work_items/16491.
RemediationAI
Monitor Red Hat's official advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-59087 and apply GIMP package updates via 'yum update gimp' or 'dnf update gimp' on affected RHEL 6-9 systems as soon as a patched RPM is released. No exact patched version is confirmed in the currently available data - the upstream fix exists as a GNOME GitLab work item (https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/work_items/16491) but has not yet been tagged as a released version. As an immediate compensating control, restrict file associations so that SFW files are not automatically opened with GIMP, and advise users not to open SFW files from untrusted or unexpected sources. If GIMP's plugin architecture allows selective disabling of the Seattle Filmworks file loader, doing so eliminates this attack surface entirely with no impact on common JPEG, PNG, or TIFF workflows. Organizations running RHEL 6 (which reached end-of-life in 2020) should treat this as additional motivation to migrate off the unsupported platform, as timely patching may not be guaranteed.
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View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Important| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Not-Affected |
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-55165
GHSA-hh4m-xc2h-qj94