CVE-2026-66040

HIGHCVSS 8.8/10EPSS 0.55%

Last modified

CVE-2026-66040 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 8.8/10 on the CVSS scale. FFmpeg through 8.1.2, fixed in commit b506faf, contains a heap out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the native PNG and APNG encoders that allows remote attackers to corrupt heap memory by supplying a crafted PNG image with a malicious eXIf chunk. Attackers can craft an eXIf chunk where multiple IFD entries reference the same large value payload, causing canonical serialization to expand the output far beyond the undersized allocation estimated by add_exif_profile_size(), resulting in png_write_chunk() writing tens of thousands of bytes past the buffer boundary, leading to deterministic heap corruption, process crash, and potentially arbitrary code execution.. EPSS estimates a 0.55% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

FFmpeg through 8.1.2, fixed in commit b506faf, contains a heap out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the native PNG and APNG encoders that allows remote attackers to corrupt heap memory by supplying a crafted PNG image with a malicious eXIf chunk. Attackers can craft an eXIf chunk where multiple IFD entries reference the same large value payload, causing canonical serialization to expand the output far beyond the undersized allocation estimated by add_exif_profile_size(), resulting in png_write_chunk() writing tens of thousands of bytes past the buffer boundary, leading to deterministic heap corruption, process crash, and potentially arbitrary code execution.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
8.8/10

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

CVSS 4.0
8.7/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability
0.55%

42.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
FfmpegFfmpeg<= 8.1.2

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-66040?
FFmpeg through 8.1.2, fixed in commit b506faf, contains a heap out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the native PNG and APNG encoders that allows remote attackers to corrupt heap memory by supplying a crafted PNG image with a malicious eXIf chunk. Attackers can craft an eXIf chunk where multiple IFD entries reference the same large value payload, causing canonical serialization to expand the output far beyond the undersized allocation estimated by add_exif_profile_size(), resulting in png_write_chunk() writing tens of thousands of bytes past the buffer boundary, leading to deterministic heap corruption, process crash, and potentially arbitrary code execution.
How severe is CVE-2026-66040?
CVE-2026-66040 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.55% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-66040?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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Source: NVD / NIST