CVE-2026-113680
Received Received - Intake

NULL Pointer Dereference in HarfBuzz Font Shaping

Publication date: 2026-10-20

Last updated on: 2026-10-20

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
HarfBuzz from 8.0.0 through 14.6.0 contains a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the experimental WebAssembly shaper host imports buffer_set_contents, face_create, and font_set_coords. Attackers can supply a crafted font whose embedded wasm module passes out-of-range addresses with non-zero lengths, crashing any application that shapes text with the font.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-20
Last Modified
2026-10-20
Generated
2026-10-20
AI Q&A
2026-10-20
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-113680
EUVD
EUVD-2026-105096

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
harfbuzz harfbuzz 8.0.0

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-476 The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a NULL pointer dereference flaw in HarfBuzz versions 8.0.0 through 14.6.0 affecting the experimental WebAssembly shaper. Attackers can craft a font with an embedded WASM module that passes invalid memory addresses with non-zero lengths to functions like buffer_set_contents, face_create, and font_set_coords. When an application processes text with this font, it crashes due to the NULL pointer dereference, causing a denial-of-service condition.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking HarfBuzz versions and analyzing fonts for embedded WASM modules. Inspect HarfBuzz installations with commands like 'harfbuzz-info --version' or 'pkg-config --modversion harfbuzz'. Examine fonts using tools like 'ttx' or 'fonttools' to check for embedded WASM modules. Monitor application logs for crashes during text shaping operations.

Impact Analysis

If you use an affected HarfBuzz version, an attacker could crash applications that process text with a specially crafted font. This could disrupt services relying on text rendering, such as document viewers, web browsers, or any software using HarfBuzz for text shaping. The impact is primarily a denial-of-service, though data corruption is possible if memory corruption occurs.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade HarfBuzz to versions beyond 14.6.0 where the vulnerability is patched. Disable experimental WASM shaper features if upgrading is not immediately possible. Avoid using untrusted fonts, especially those with embedded WASM modules. Monitor vendor advisories for updates and patches.

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