Application crash via unbounded BMP color allocation
Published May 4, 2026 · Updated May 4, 2026
Excessive memory allocation in CImg before commit c3aacf5 allows attackers to crash host applications through a crafted BMP file. The _load_bmp routine passes the header-controlled nb_colors value to colormap.assign without limiting it to the palette size permitted by the BMP bit depth. A user or consuming application must load the malicious file; successful exploitation exhausts process memory without reported data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Excessive memory allocation in CImg before commit c3aacf5 allows attackers to crash host applications through a crafted BMP file. The _load_bmp routine passes the header-controlled nb_colors value to colormap.assign without limiting it to the palette size permitted by the BMP bit depth. A user or consuming application must load the malicious file; successful exploitation exhausts process memory without reported data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-42146
- Published
- May 4, 2026
- Updated
- May 4, 2026
- Vendor
- GREYC
- Product
- CImg
- Classifications
- CWE-789, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 4, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=< c3aacf5b96ac1e54b7af1957c6737dbf3949f6d3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- poc_nbcolors_oom.bmpproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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