libsixel: Use-after-free in load_with_gdkpixbuf()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. In versions 1.8.7 and prior, when built with the --with-gdk-pixbuf2 option, a use-after-free vulnerability exists in load_with_gdkpixbuf() in loader.c. The cleanup path manually frees the sixel_frame_t object and its internal buffers without consulting the reference count, even though the object was created via the refcounted constructor sixel_frame_new() and exposed to the public callback. A callback that calls sixel_frame_ref(frame) to retain a logically valid reference will hold a dangling pointer after sixel_helper_load_image_file() returns, and any subsequent access to the frame or its fields triggers a use-after-free confirmed by AddressSanitizer. The root cause is a consistency failure between two cleanup strategies in the same codebase: sixel_frame_unref() is used in load_with_builtin() but raw free() is used in load_with_gdkpixbuf(). An attacker supplying a crafted image to any application built against libsixel with gdk-pixbuf2 support can trigger this reliably, potentially leading to information disclosure, memory corruption, or code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA libsixel (saitoha) Fixed in 1.8.7-r1
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-33023
References
More saitoha Libsixel vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-32536 libsixel: integer overflow in encoder CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2026-32537 libsixel: integer overflow in parser CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-25466 libsixel: Integer Overflow in write_png_to_file() leads to Heap-based Buffer Overflow CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-25464 libsixel: Use-After-Free in load_gif() CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.0
- TI-2026-25467 libsixel: Use-after-free in sixel_encoder_encode_bytes() CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.3
- TI-2026-25465 libsixel: Integer overflow leads to Out-of-bounds Read in img2sixel CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-33023 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-33023 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-33023 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences