CVE-2026-68513
Received Received - Intake

Heap Buffer Overflow in PyOpenEXR

Publication date: 2026-08-25

Last updated on: 2026-08-25

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image format, widely used in the motion picture industry. Versions 3.3.0 through 3.3.12 and 3.4.0 through 3.4.13 contain a heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR triggered by a channel-name key collision between literal and prefixed RGB channels. When separate_channels=false, PyOpenEXR maps each physical channel name through channelNameToRGBA() and coalesces the results into a shared RGB array. A crafted flat scanline EXR that contains both a literal channel such as left and prefixed channels such as left.R, left.G, and left.B causes these names to collide, so the wrapper reuses an undersized two-dimensional NumPy array for the coalesced RGB slices and writes out of bounds when OpenEXR.File(path) decodes the pixels. This issue is fixed in versions 3.3.13 and 3.4.14.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-25
Last Modified
2026-08-25
Generated
2026-08-26
AI Q&A
2026-08-25
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-68513
EUVD
EUVD-2026-65736

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 8 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
academysoftwarefoundation openexr From 3.3.0 (inc) to 3.3.13 (exc)
academysoftwarefoundation openexr From 3.4.0 (inc) to 3.4.14 (exc)
academysoftwarefoundation openexr 3.3.13
academysoftwarefoundation openexr 3.4.14
openexr openexr From 3.3.0 (inc) to 3.3.12 (inc)
openexr openexr From 3.4.0 (inc) to 3.4.13 (inc)
openexr openexr 3.3.13
openexr openexr 3.4.14

Helpful Resources

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

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR, a Python library for handling EXR image files. It occurs when channel names collide between literal and prefixed RGB channels in a crafted EXR file. When separate_channels=false, the library incorrectly reuses a small array for RGB data, leading to out-of-bounds writes during pixel decoding.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check the installed version of OpenEXR using commands like 'pip show openexr' or 'dpkg -l | grep openexr'. If the version is between 3.3.0-3.3.12 or 3.4.0-3.4.13, the system is vulnerable. Use static analysis tools to inspect PyOpenEXR.cpp for improper channel name handling.

Impact Analysis

This flaw could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial-of-service conditions on systems processing malicious EXR files. It primarily affects applications using PyOpenEXR with versions 3.3.0 to 3.3.12 and 3.4.0 to 3.4.13.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA. It is a heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR that could lead to memory corruption, crashes, or potential further security issues when processing untrusted EXR files. Compliance impacts would depend on how the vulnerability is exploited in a specific system or application.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade OpenEXR to version 3.3.13 or 3.4.14 or later to address the heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR. Avoid using flat scanline EXR files with both literal and prefixed RGB channels to prevent channel-name key collisions.

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