TI-2025-41979 Aliases CVE-2025-68431

libheif has Potential Heap Buffer Over-Read

LOW 32CWE-125Published 2025-12-29 · Updated 2025-12-30

Key facts

Attack vector: Network
Privileges required: None
User interaction: Required
Attack complexity: Low
Impact type: —
Confidentiality · integrity · availability: Low · None · High
Fix status: Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.

Summary

libheif is an HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Prior to version 1.21.0, a crafted HEIF that exercises the overlay image item path triggers a heap buffer over-read in `HeifPixelImage::overlay()`. The function computes a negative row length (likely from an unclipped overlay rectangle or invalid offsets), which then underflows when converted to `size_t` and is passed to `memcpy`, causing a very large read past the end of the source plane and a crash. Version 1.21.0 contains a patch. As a workaround, avoid decoding images using `iovl` overlay boxes.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV

EPSS 0.00427 37th percentileScored 2026-11-07

Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD

Fix Fixed libheif (strukturag): 1.21.0

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation: None
Automatable: No
Technical impact: Partial

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

Vendor	Product	Affected versions	Fixed in	Status	Source
strukturag	libheif	before 1.21.0	1.21.0	Patch available	CNA

libheif Vendorstrukturag Affected before 1.21.0 Fixed in 1.21.0 Patch available CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 1

CPE	Versions	Role	Vendor
cpe:2.3:a:struktur:libheif::::::::	before 1.21.0	Vulnerable	strukturag

cpe:2.3:a:struktur:libheif:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 1.21.0 Vulnerable ·strukturag

Remediation

Fix · CNA libheif (strukturag) Fixed in 1.21.0

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat's page for this CVE →

Not affected: 1 product

Red Hat

Timeline

2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-68431

References

TI-2023-27020 libheif v1.17.5 was discovered to contain a segmentation violation via the function… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2026-34830 libheif Vulnerable to Heap Information Disclosure via Grid Image Gap + Uninitialized Pixel Plane Allocation CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
TI-2024-16668 libheif <= 1.17.6 contains a memory leak in the function JpegEncoder::Encode. CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
TI-2024-27575 In Libheif 1.17.6, insufficient checks in ImageOverlay::parse() decoding a heif file… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
TI-2026-35472 libheif: heap OOB read in ImageItem_Grid::decode_grid_tile via irot-induced tile-coordinate underflow CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
TI-2026-35212 libheif has a NULL pointer dereference in heif_image_handle_get_image_tiling for malformed unci image missing ispe CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9

See all 28 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences