CVE-2025-70968Public exploit

Application crash via dangling TGA bitmap pointer

Published Jan 14, 2026 · Updated Jan 14, 2026

Use-after-free in FreeImage 3.18.0 allows attackers to crash image-processing applications via a crafted RLE-compressed TGA file. PluginTARGA.cpp's loadRLE function frees a FIBITMAP after an RLE-loading error but nulls only its local pointer, leaving Load with a dangling pointer that flip operations reuse. The crash requires a consuming application to load the malformed file with a flip flag; code execution remains theoretical and depends on heap manipulation.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability0.51%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in FreeImage 3.18.0 allows attackers to crash image-processing applications via a crafted RLE-compressed TGA file. PluginTARGA.cpp's loadRLE function frees a FIBITMAP after an RLE-loading error but nulls only its local pointer, leaving Load with a dangling pointer that flip operations reuse. The crash requires a consuming application to load the malformed file with a flip flag; code execution remains theoretical and depends on heap manipulation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-70968
Published
Jan 14, 2026
Updated
Jan 14, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-416
Attack vector
Unavailable
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 14, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorUnavailable in this record.
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

9.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
VectorUnavailable
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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