# CVE-2026-41071: Strukturag libheif heap buffer over-read in SampleAuxInfoReader

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-41071-strukturag-libheif-heap-buffer-over-read-in-sampleauxinforeader  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-22. Updated: 2026-05-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-41071 · Severity: info · CVSS 5.1 · Published 2026-05-22

libheif is an open-source library used to decode and encode HEIF and AVIF image files, commonly used in photo viewers and web applications. A vulnerability exists where a specially crafted image file can cause the software to read memory outside of its intended boundaries. This can lead to an immediate application crash (denial of service) or potentially allow an attacker to read sensitive information from the system's memory.

Technologies: [struktur AG Libheif](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/libheif). Vendors: [struktur AG](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/struktur-ag).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-41071 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-41071 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-41071?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 5.1, published 22 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** struktur AG Libheif <= 1.21.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-41071?** A patch was published on 2026-05-19: Fixed in version 1.22.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-41071 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-41071?** Check whether you run struktur AG Libheif at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in libheif's SampleAuxInfoReader constructor within libheif/sequences/track.cc. The root cause is a lack of validation between the sample count declared in the 'saiz' box and the actual number of chunks available in the track's chunk table. When a crafted HEIF file specifies more samples than chunks, the parsing loop increments the chunk index beyond the bounds of the chunks vector. In release builds where assertions are disabled, this leads to an out-of-bounds read. The vulnerability is triggered during file parsing via heif_context_read_from_file and can result in information disclosure or a denial of service (crash). This issue is fixed in version 1.22.0.

## Affected products

- strukturag libheif <= 1.21.2

## Timeline

- 2026-05-19: patched: Fixed in version 1.22.0
- 2026-05-19: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-05-22: disclosed: CVE-2026-41071 published to NVD

## References

- [https://github.com/strukturag/libheif/releases/tag/v1.22.0](https://github.com/strukturag/libheif/releases/tag/v1.22.0)
- [https://github.com/strukturag/libheif/security/advisories/GHSA-xj92-xjff-h8w3](https://github.com/strukturag/libheif/security/advisories/GHSA-xj92-xjff-h8w3)

## Related threats

- [libheif decompression bomb via brotli/zlib metadata](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84384-libheif-is-a-heif-and-avif-file-format-decoder-and-encoder-from-1)
- [Strukturag libheif heap OOB read in ImageItem_Grid::decode_grid_tile](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-48029-strukturag-libheif-heap-oob-read-in-imageitem-grid-decode-grid)
- [Strukturag libheif integer overflow in region.cc mask parsing](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-47714-strukturag-libheif-integer-overflow-in-region-cc-mask-parsing)
- [Strukturag libheif out-of-bounds read in SampleAuxInfoReader](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-41069-strukturag-libheif-out-of-bounds-read-in-sampleauxinforeader)
- [libheif heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-32882-libheif-heap-buffer-over-read-in-heifpixelimage-overlay)