CVE-2026-33023

7.8 HIGH
Published: April 14, 2026 Modified: April 23, 2026
View on NVD

Description

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. In versions 1.8.7 and prior, when built with the --with-gdk-pixbuf2 option, a use-after-free vulnerability exists in load_with_gdkpixbuf() in loader.c. The cleanup path manually frees the sixel_frame_t object and its internal buffers without consulting the reference count, even though the object was created via the refcounted constructor sixel_frame_new() and exposed to the public callback. A callback that calls sixel_frame_ref(frame) to retain a logically valid reference will hold a dangling pointer after sixel_helper_load_image_file() returns, and any subsequent access to the frame or its fields triggers a use-after-free confirmed by AddressSanitizer. The root cause is a consistency failure between two cleanup strategies in the same codebase: sixel_frame_unref() is used in load_with_builtin() but raw free() is used in load_with_gdkpixbuf(). An attacker supplying a crafted image to any application built against libsixel with gdk-pixbuf2 support can trigger this reliably, potentially leading to information disclosure, memory corruption, or code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

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CVSS v3.x Details

0.0 Low Medium High Critical 10.0
Vector String
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Patch Vendor Advisory Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/saitoha/libsixel/releases/tag/v1.8.7-r1
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Release Notes
https://github.com/saitoha/libsixel/security/advisories/GHSA-hr25-g2j6-qjw6
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Exploit Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/saitoha/libsixel/security/advisories/GHSA-hr25-g2j6-qjw6
Source: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Exploit Vendor Advisory

3 reference(s) from NVD

Quick Stats

CVSS v3 Score
7.8 / 10.0
EPSS (Exploit Probability)
0.0%
0th percentile
Exploitation Status
Not in CISA KEV

Weaknesses (CWE)

Affected Vendors

saitoha