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Public proof of conceptFix availableAwaiting NVD analysis

CVE-2026-16768

Gdk-pixbuf: out-of-bounds read in ico parser

A public proof of concept exists; no exploitation attested.

  • Published2026-07-23
  • WeaknessCWE-125

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

A flaw was found in gdk-pixbuf. When parsing a specially crafted ICO file with pixel values that exceed the defined palette range, an out-of-bounds read can occur due to improper bounds checking against the actual palette size. This vulnerability causes heap bytes to be interpreted as valid palette indices and rendered as RGB pixel values in the output image, allowing an attacker to extract heap content via the generated output, such as a thumbnail.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2026-07-2316:41CVE publishedCNA

Versions per branch

Products declared by the CNA6 products

As redhat, the CNA that assigned this CVE, declared them in the CVE record; versions as written.

Source: the CNA record (CVE Program), © The MITRE Corporation,CVE Terms of UseCVE recordupdated 2026-11-05

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:26.10all versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:26.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:24.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufUbuntu:22.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdk-pixbufEchoall versions · fixed in 2.42.12+dfsg-4+e6

10 more package ranges on OSV.dev

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2026-16768 Red Hat Product Security21 known affected

    gdk-pixbuf: out-of-bounds read in ICO parser

    gdk-pixbuf2 as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · gdk-pixbuf2-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · gdk-pixbuf2-modules as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · +18 more

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. Workaround from the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2026-16768 · 21 productsTo mitigate this vulnerability, if the application does not require support for ICO files, disable the gdk-pixbuf ICO loader to prevent the vulnerable module from being executed.
  2. No fix available, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2026-16768 · 21 productsFix deferred

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Published
2026-07-23
Last Modified
2026-11-05
NVD status
Awaiting Analysis
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-744w-9fjj-p376

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-16768?

A flaw was found in gdk-pixbuf. When parsing a specially crafted ICO file with pixel values that exceed the defined palette range, an out-of-bounds read can occur due to improper bounds checking against the actual palette size. This vulnerability causes heap bytes to be interpreted as valid palette indices and rendered as RGB pixel values in the output image, allowing an attacker to extract heap content via the generated output, such as a thumbnail.

Is CVE-2026-16768 actively exploited?

A proof-of-concept exploit exists for CVE-2026-16768, but active exploitation has not been confirmed at this time.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-16768?

CVE-2026-16768 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.

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