CVE-2026-42169 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2026-42169
Vulnerability Scoring

7.3
/10
Very High Risk

Highly exploitable, CVE-2026-42169 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Local
    Vulnerability requires local system access.
  • Privileges Required: Low
    Some privileges are necessary to exploit the vulnerability.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: Required
    User interaction is necessary for successful exploitation.

CVE-2026-42169 Details

Status: Awaiting Analysis

Last updated: 🕞 06 Aug 2026, 15:37 UTC
Originally published on: 🕓 04 Aug 2026, 04:16 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 2 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

secalert@redhat.com

CVSS3 Type

Secondary

CVSS3 Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE-2026-42169 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2026-42169: A heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability exists in the APNG (Animated PNG) file loader of GIMP. This flaw occurs when the `fcTL` width exceeds the `IHDR` width, leading to pixel data being written past the end of a heap allocation. Additionally, a heap-based buffer overflow exists in the DDS plug-in due to a BPP mismatch in the `load_layer()` function. Both vulnerabilities can be triggered by opening a specially crafted image file, potentially leading to code execution.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2026-42169

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2026-42169 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).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2026-42169

CVE-2026-42169 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.

Understanding AC and PR

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.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-42169, 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.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-42169, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2026-42169 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2026-42169 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2026-42169 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

CVE-2026-42169 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-131

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • Overflow Buffers CAPEC-100 Buffer Overflow attacks target improper or missing bounds checking on buffer operations, typically triggered by input injected by an adversary. As a consequence, an adversary is able to write past the boundaries of allocated buffer regions in memory, causing a program crash or potentially redirection of execution as per the adversaries' choice.
  • Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion CAPEC-47 In this attack, the target software is given input that the adversary knows will be modified and expanded in size during processing. This attack relies on the target software failing to anticipate that the expanded data may exceed some internal limit, thereby creating a buffer overflow.

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