BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-11-25

Last updated on: 2025-11-26

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. From version 1.6.0 to before 1.6.51, there is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the libpng simplified API function png_image_finish_read when processing 16-bit interlaced PNGs with 8-bit output format. Attacker-crafted interlaced PNG files cause heap writes beyond allocated buffer bounds. This issue has been patched in version 1.6.51.

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Meta Information

Published

2025-11-25

Last Modified

2025-11-26

Generated

2026-07-06

AI Q&A

2025-11-25

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-05

NVD

CVE-2025-65018

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
libpng	libpng	From 1.6.0 (inc) to 1.6.51 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

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().
CWE-787	The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in the libpng library versions from 1.6.0 to before 1.6.51. It occurs in the function png_image_finish_read when processing 16-bit interlaced PNG images with an 8-bit output format. An attacker can craft a malicious interlaced PNG file that causes the program to write beyond the allocated memory buffer, potentially leading to crashes or arbitrary code execution. The issue has been fixed in version 1.6.51.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to a heap buffer overflow, which may allow an attacker to cause a denial of service (application crash) or potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected system. This can compromise the integrity and availability of applications using vulnerable versions of libpng when processing malicious PNG files.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the libpng library to version 1.6.51 or later, as this version contains the patch that fixes the heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the png_image_finish_read function. Avoid processing untrusted or attacker-crafted 16-bit interlaced PNG files with 8-bit output format until the update is applied.

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