CVE-2026-25796Network attack vector

Denial of service via leaked watermark object

Published Feb 24, 2026 · Updated Feb 24, 2026

Memory leak in ImageMagick before 6.9.13-40 and 7.0.0 through 7.1.2-14 allows remote attackers to exhaust memory via crafted STEGANO images. ReadSTEGANOImage() allocates the watermark Image object but returns after colormap allocation failure, ping handling, or extent setup failure without destroying it. An unauthenticated network path exists only when a consuming application accepts attacker-controlled STEGANO input; each invocation leaks at least about 13.5 KB, and repeated processing can interrupt that application.

CVSS severity5.3
Medium
EPSS probability0.38%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory leak in ImageMagick before 6.9.13-40 and 7.0.0 through 7.1.2-14 allows remote attackers to exhaust memory via crafted STEGANO images. ReadSTEGANOImage() allocates the watermark Image object but returns after colormap allocation failure, ping handling, or extent setup failure without destroying it. An unauthenticated network path exists only when a consuming application accepts attacker-controlled STEGANO input; each invocation leaks at least about 13.5 KB, and repeated processing can interrupt that application.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-25796
Published
Feb 24, 2026
Updated
Feb 24, 2026
Vendor
ImageMagick Studio LLC
Product
ImageMagick
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 24, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 24, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 6.9.13-40
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 7.0.0, < 7.1.2-15

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

ImageMagick Studio LLC · ImageMagickversion=< 6.9.13-40; version=>= 7.0.0, < 7.1.2-15

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.3GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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