Executive brief
GIMP is a widely-used image editing application. A heap-based buffer overflow in GIMP's TIF file parser allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a user's computer if the user opens a malicious TIF image file. This could lead to complete system compromise, including data theft, malware installation, and loss of confidentiality and integrity.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a classic heap-based buffer overflow in GIMP's TIF file parsing code. The root cause is insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying it to a heap-allocated buffer. An attacker can craft a malicious TIF file with oversized data fields to trigger the overflow. Attack vector is local/user interaction: the target must open the malicious TIF file. An authenticated attacker or external attacker can exploit this to execute arbitrary code in the context of GIMP's process. A patch has been released by GIMP; details are available in the referenced GitLab commit.
Affected products
- GIMP GIMP
Timeline
- 2026-04-17: disclosed: Vulnerability reported to vendor
- 2026-07-29: advisory: Coordinated public release of advisory
- 2026-07-29: patched: GIMP issued an update; patch available via GitLab commit bace3e7fd54104fe6b70c1703e9b982a4770811d