# CVE-2026-42216: AcademySoftwareFoundation OpenEXR out-of-bounds read in IDManifest

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42216-academysoftwarefoundation-openexr-out-of-bounds-read-in  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-07. Updated: 2026-06-30  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-42216 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.1 · Published 2026-05-07

OpenEXR is a standard image file format used extensively in the motion picture industry for high-quality visual effects and animation. A security flaw in how the library processes these image files could allow an attacker to crash applications or potentially steal sensitive information from a computer's memory. This occurs when a specially crafted, malicious image file is opened by a vulnerable application.

Technologies: [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-10), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-6), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-9). Vendors: [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-42216 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-42216 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-42216?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.1, published 7 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** AcademySoftwareFoundation OpenEXR 3.0.0 to 3.2.8, 3.3.0 to 3.3.10, 3.4.0 to 3.4.10; Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9; Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-42216?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-42216 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-42216?** Check whether you run Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. 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 exists in the IDManifest::init() function of OpenEXR due to improper handling of prefix-compressed strings. When reconstructing strings, the code fails to validate that a string has at least two bytes before attempting to read a 2-byte prefix length if the preceding string exceeded 255 bytes. In production builds, this results in a hardware-level heap out-of-bounds read. An attacker can leverage this to cause a denial of service (via std::out_of_range exception) or leak adjacent heap memory by influencing the common prefix length used in subsequent string reconstruction. The vulnerability is patched in versions 3.2.9, 3.3.11, and 3.4.11.

## Affected products

- AcademySoftwareFoundation OpenEXR 3.0.0 to 3.2.8, 3.3.0 to 3.3.10, 3.4.0 to 3.4.10
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

## Timeline

- 2026-05-05: advisory: GitHub Advisory GHSA-65j8-95g9-jgj4 published
- 2026-05-07: disclosed: CVE-2026-42216 published

## References

- [https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/security/advisories/GHSA-65j8-95g9-jgj4](https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr/security/advisories/GHSA-65j8-95g9-jgj4)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42216](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42216)
- [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2467633](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2467633)
- [https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-42216.json](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-42216.json)

## Related threats

- [Red Hat yggdrasil-worker-package-manager argument injection in APT backend](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-18157-red-hat-yggdrasil-worker-package-manager-argument-injection-in)
- [Samba AD DC LDAP filter injection and ACL bypass in Compare requests](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-58222-samba-ad-dc-ldap-filter-injection-and-acl-bypass-in-compare)
- [Samba KDC out-of-bounds read in kpasswd service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-58216-samba-kdc-out-of-bounds-read-in-kpasswd-service)
- [Samba internal DNS server denial of service via TKEY cache exhaustion](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-58218-samba-internal-dns-server-denial-of-service-via-tkey-cache)
- [Red Hat PCP auth bypass in pmproxy /store endpoint](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-16527-red-hat-pcp-auth-bypass-in-pmproxy-store-endpoint)