CVE-2026-120431
Received Received - Intake

Heap Overflow in Netpbm via SGI Image Processing

Publication date: 2026-11-02

Last updated on: 2026-11-02

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
Netpbm before 10.86.51, 11.x before 11.02.29, and 11.03 before 11.15.07 contains a heap-based buffer overflow in sgitopnm's readChannels() function when processing RLE-compressed SGI images. Attackers can supply crafted SGI files with oversized offset table lengths to write controlled data past the heap buffer, causing crashes or potential code execution.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-11-02
Last Modified
2026-11-02
Generated
2026-11-02
AI Q&A
2026-11-02
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-120431

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Netpbm Netpbm 0
Netpbm Netpbm 11.0
Netpbm Netpbm 11.03

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-122 A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-120431 is a heap-based buffer overflow in Netpbm's sgitopnm tool. It occurs when processing RLE-compressed SGI images with oversized offset table lengths. Attackers can exploit this to write controlled data past the heap buffer, causing crashes or potential code execution.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, inspect Netpbm versions on your system. Use commands like 'netpbm --version' or check package managers (e.g., 'dpkg -l | grep netpbm' for Debian/Ubuntu). Scan for SGI image files processed by sgitopnm. Monitor for crashes or unusual behavior when handling RLE-compressed SGI images.

Impact Analysis

If you process untrusted SGI images with vulnerable Netpbm versions, attackers could crash your system or execute arbitrary code. This could lead to data loss, system compromise, or unauthorized access depending on the context of use.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data access or system compromise, violating GDPR's integrity and confidentiality requirements or HIPAA's security rules for protected health information. Organizations must patch to maintain compliance.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Netpbm to patched versions (10.86.51, 11.02.29, or 11.15.07). Disable or restrict access to sgitopnm until patched. Avoid processing untrusted SGI files, especially RLE-compressed ones. Implement input validation for image files.

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