CVE-2026-6491Public exploit

Local memory disclosure via unchecked position-array copy

Published Apr 17, 2026 · Updated Apr 17, 2026

Heap-buffer over-read in libvips 8.18.0 through 8.18.2 allows local users to read adjacent process memory through im_minpos_vec. The deprecated compatibility function asks vips_min for n positions, receives arrays sized to the image's actual pixel count, and then copies n elements without checking the returned lengths. A caller must invoke the nip2-compatible handler with n greater than the image's pixel count; this can disclose adjacent heap data or crash the process, although upstream disputes treating the bug as a security vulnerability.

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

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Heap-buffer over-read in libvips 8.18.0 through 8.18.2 allows local users to read adjacent process memory through im_minpos_vec. The deprecated compatibility function asks vips_min for n positions, receives arrays sized to the image's actual pixel count, and then copies n elements without checking the returned lengths. A caller must invoke the nip2-compatible handler with n greater than the image's pixel count; this can disclose adjacent heap data or crash the process, although upstream disputes treating the bug as a security vulnerability.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-6491
Published
Apr 17, 2026
Updated
Apr 17, 2026
Vendor
libvips
Product
libvips
Classifications
CWE-122, CWE-119
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 17, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 17, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=8.18.0
  2. Affected versionversion=8.18.1
  3. Affected versionversion=8.18.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

libvips · libvipsversion=8.18.0; version=8.18.1; version=8.18.2

Published CVSS scores

4.3VulDBAV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
1.9VulDBCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
5.3VulDBCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-122Heap-based Buffer Overflow
CWE-119Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

Public exploit references

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

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo