Highly exploitable, CVE-2026-42046 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.
Status: Deferred
Last updated: 🕡 13 May 2026, 18:31 UTC
Originally published on: 🕙 11 May 2026, 22:22 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 1 days
CVSS Release: version 3
security-advisories@github.com
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2026-42046: libcaca is a colour ASCII art library. In 0.99.beta20 and earlier, an integer overflow vulnerability in libcaca's canvas import functionality allows an attacker to cause a controlled heap out-of-bounds write (heap overflow) by supplying a crafted file in the "caca" format. Depending on the build configuration and memory allocator, this may lead to memory corruption or remote code execution. This is the same vulnerability as CVE-2021-3410 but the fix at that time was not fully correct. Commit fb77acff9ba6bb01d53940da34fb10f20b156a23 fixes this vulnerability.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-42046 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2026-42046 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-42046, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-42046, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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