Findings

CVE-2026-32882

libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder.

Published May 19, 2026 · corrected/updated Jul 24, 2026 · evidence confidence medium

libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Versions 1.21.2 and prior contain a heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay() in libheif/pixelimage.cc. When compositing an overlay image (iovl) whose child image has a different bit depth for the alpha channel than for the color channels, the function indexes into the alpha plane using the color channel stride (in_stride) instead of the previously retrieved alpha_stride, causing reads past the end of the alpha buffer (up to 3,123 bytes for a 100×50 image with 10-bit color and 8-bit alpha). A crafted HEIF file can exploit this to cause a denial of service (crash) or potentially disclose adjacent heap memory through leaked bytes embedded in the decoded output pixels. This issue has been fixed in versionThis issue has been fixed in version 1.22.0.

Grounded briefings

Catalog interpretations for three audiences. Each brief cites ingested metadata and the original advisories below. They are not independent research and they do not invent exploit steps.

Executive

CVE-2026-32882 is a high public vulnerability record for this product. It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited catalog. Check the linked vendor or CERT advisories for patch status. This summary is a catalog interpretation of the ingested metadata and cites the original advisories below.

System administrator

Identify whether this product is in your estate, then compare installed versions with the affected ranges. Affected version ranges have not been ingested yet. Check the linked vendor or CERT advisories for patch status. Prefer the vendor or distribution advisory linked in Sources before changing production systems. This is a catalog interpretation, not a runbook.

Security analyst

Signals on file: CVSS 7.1. It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited catalog. Weakness classes: CWE-125. Sources contributing to this record: cve_org, nvd. Public exploit references, when present, are outbound links only and are not proof of active exploitation. This is a catalog interpretation of stored metadata.

Exploitation and remediation

  • Exploitation evidence

    Not listed as known exploited in CISA KEV. Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Patch and remediation

    No required-action text is stored yet. Use the vendor or CERT links in Sources for patch availability.

  • Safe detection guidance

    Compare installed versions with the affected ranges below and verify the advisory from the original publisher. This site stores metadata and outbound links only; it does not ship exploit code or proof-of-concept payloads.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. May 19, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Versions 1.21.2 and prior contain a heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay() in libheif/pixelimage.cc. When compositing an overlay image (iovl) whose child image has a different bit depth for the alpha channel than for the color channels, the function indexes into the alpha plane using the color channel stride (in_stride) instea

  2. Jul 24, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Versions 1.21.2 and prior contain a heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay() in libheif/pixelimage.cc. When compositing an overlay image (iovl) whose child image has a different bit depth for the alpha channel than for the color channels, the function indexes into the alpha plane using the color channel stride (in_stride) instea

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-32882

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-32882

    libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Versions 1.21.2 and prior contain a heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay() in libheif/pixelimage.cc. When compositing an overlay image (iovl) whose child image has a different bit depth for the alpha channel

    nvd.nist.gov

References