libsixel: Use-After-Free in load_gif()
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-33018 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-04-14 22:16:30 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-04-17 15:38:09 UTC |
| Description | libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain a Use-After-Free vulnerability via the load_gif() function in fromgif.c, where a single sixel_frame_t object is reused across all frames of an animated GIF and gif_init_frame() unconditionally frees and reallocates frame->pixels between frames without consulting the object's reference count. Because the public API explicitly provides sixel_frame_ref() to retain a frame and sixel_frame_get_pixels() to access the raw pixel buffer, a callback following this documented usage pattern will hold a dangling pointer after the second frame is decoded, resulting in a heap use-after-free confirmed by ASAN. Any application using sixel_helper_load_image_file() with a multi-frame callback to process user-supplied animated GIFs is affected, with a reliable crash as the minimum impact and potential for code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.000160000 probability, percentile 0.037700000 (date 2026-04-21)
Problem Types: CWE-416 | CWE-416 CWE-416: Use After Free
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
RequiredScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/saitoha/libsixel/security/advisories/GHSA-w46f-jr9f-rgvp | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/saitoha/libsixel/releases/tag/v1.8.7-r1 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.