CVE-2026-16768: Out-of-bounds Read (CVSS 5.3)

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.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.3

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0024

Probability of exploitation

0.15%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read

References

Other References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16768 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2506437 https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gdk-pixbuf/-/issues/302 https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gdk-pixbuf/-/issues/302

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. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-16768? +

CVE-2026-16768 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.3 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0024, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-16768? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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