CVE-2026-59981: Out-of-bounds Read (CVSS 7.1)

Description

OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image file format, widely used in the motion picture industry. In versions through 3.2.10, 3.3.0 through 3.3.12, and 3.4.0 through 3.4.13, the OpenEXRUtil library returns an out-of-bounds pointer from the SampleCountChannel::row() API when a deep image has a non-zero dataWindow origin. The row() accessor is documented as 0-based and computes its address from an internal base that is offset for absolute pixel coordinates, so the two coordinate models conflict whenever dataWindow.min is non-zero. For a deep image whose data window has a large negative vertical origin, row(0) points far outside the allocated sample-count buffer. An application that opens an attacker-controlled deep EXR file and accesses sample counts through row() performs an out-of-bounds read, which can crash the process or, under a controlled heap layout, return adjacent heap memory as sample-count values. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.11, 3.3.13, and 3.4.14.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.1

HIGH

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0025

Probability of exploitation

0.17%

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://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/37f03b6ed90f3dd9910f31de3a40f25f2bc2aca1 https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/55b7958ecb5ac32c427ff39c1e063f6f7bbee77c https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/commit/aef02224ba282a802de65d16c49c1cdb82089dec https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/security/advisories/GHSA-m799-ffc3-8pxc https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/security/advisories/GHSA-m799-ffc3-8pxc

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-59981? +

OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image file format, widely used in the motion picture industry. In versions through 3.2.10, 3.3.0 through 3.3.12, and 3.4.0 through 3.4.13, the OpenEXRUtil library returns an out-of-bounds pointer from the SampleCountChannel::row() API when a deep image has a non-zero dataWindow origin. The row() accessor is documented as 0-based and computes its address from an internal base that is offset for absolute pixel coordinates, so the two coordinate models conflict whenever dataWindow.min is non-zero. For a deep image whose data window has a large negative vertical origin, row(0) points far outside the allocated sample-count buffer. An application that opens an attacker-controlled deep EXR file and accesses sample counts through row() performs an out-of-bounds read, which can crash the process or, under a controlled heap layout, return adjacent heap memory as sample-count values. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.11, 3.3.13, and 3.4.14. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-59981? +

CVE-2026-59981 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0025, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-59981? +

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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