OpenEXR HTJ2K decoder heap buffer over-read in ht_undo_impl() (DoS)
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-122 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image format, widely used in the motion picture industry. In versions 3.4.0 through 3.4.11, the HTJ2K (High-Throughput JPEG 2000) decoder, ht_undo_impl() in OpenEXRCore is vulnerable to a heap-buffer-overflow READ. The ht_undo_imp function copies decoded pixels out of a per-line OpenJPH buffer using the EXR channel's declared width as the iteration count. The codestream embedded in the EXR chunk can declare different (smaller) tile/line dimensions than the EXR header advertises, but ht_undo_impl() does not validate this — it pulls width 32-bit samples from cur_line->i32[] without checking the OpenJPH line buffer's actual length. A crafted EXR file produces a 4-byte heap-buffer-overflow READ immediately after a buffer allocated by ojph::local::codestream::finalize_alloc(). The bug is reachable through the standard scanline-decode entry point used by every consumer of exr_decoding_run/Imf::checkOpenEXRFile, including thumbnailers, asset pipelines, and the exrcheck utility — i.e. any application that opens untrusted EXR files. The result is a deterministic crash (DoS) and potential adjacent-heap leak. This issue has been fixed in version 3.4.12.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AcademySoftwareFoundation | openexr | 3.4.0 to before 3.4.11 | 3.4.11 | Patch available | CNA |
- openexr VendorAcademySoftwareFoundation Affected 3.4.0 to before 3.4.11 Fixed in 3.4.11 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.4.0 to before 3.4.12 | Vulnerable | Academy Software Foundation |
- cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.4.0 to before 3.4.12 Vulnerable ·Academy Software Foundation
Remediation
- Fix · CNA openexr (AcademySoftwareFoundation) Fixed in 3.4.11
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-45696
References
More AcademySoftwareFoundation vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-30739 OpenColorIO vulnerable to stack buffer overflow via unbounded `sscanf %s` in Spi3D (.spi3d) LUT parser CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.4
- TI-2026-38605 OpenEXR: Unhandled assert abort in HTJ2K decoder via crafted QCD marker (DoS) CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-48281 OpenEXR: Heap out-of-bounds write in exrmultiview with subsampled channel union CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-48279 OpenEXR: Heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR from literal/prefixed RGB channel name collision CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-42768 OpenEXR: Heap OOB read in SampleCountChannel row when using nonzero dataWindow CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-42338 OpenEXR: Out-of-bounds read in DeepImageChannel::row() for non-zero dataWindow origin CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-45696 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-45696 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-45696 · 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