# CVE-2026-50291: OpenImageIO BMP palette denial of service

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-50291-openimageio-bmp-palette-denial-of-service  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-17. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-50291 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-09-17

OpenImageIO is a widely-used image processing library used in animation and VFX production. A crafted BMP file can cause the library to crash when processing RLE-compressed image data, disrupting any application or tool that uses it to read images and potentially halting production workflows.

Technologies: [Academy Software Foundation OpenImageIO](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/openimageio). Vendors: [Academy Software Foundation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/academy-software-foundation).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-50291 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-50291 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-50291?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 17 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Academy Software Foundation OpenImageIO before 3.0.16.0 and before 3.1.11.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-50291?** 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-2026-50291 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-50291?** Check whether you run Academy Software Foundation OpenImageIO 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

The vulnerability exists in the BMP image decoder (src/bmp.imageio/bmpinput.cpp) where processing a crafted BMP file with an empty color table can lead to an invalid palette read during RLE scanline decoding in BmpInput::read_native_scanline. The root cause is insufficient validation of palette presence before attempting to access palette entries. An attacker can trigger a process crash (denial of service) by supplying a malicious BMP file to oiiotool or any application linked to the library. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 3.0.16.0 and 3.1.11.0, and patches are available in those versions.

## Affected products

- Academy Software Foundation OpenImageIO before 3.0.16.0 and before 3.1.11.0

## Timeline

- 2026-09-17: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/commit/91500ed58ce927b7e710c6bbc3b7f795bb0791b5](https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/commit/91500ed58ce927b7e710c6bbc3b7f795bb0791b5)
- [https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/commit/be984856e315e0a82cd866745b544c8c4cb8bd45](https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/commit/be984856e315e0a82cd866745b544c8c4cb8bd45)

## Related threats

- [OpenImageIO integer overflow in Cineon codec scanline buffer](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-113681-openimageio-before-3-0-20-0-3-1-x-before-3-1-15-0-and-3-2-x)
- [OpenImageIO heap overflow in TIFF CMYK decoding](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-67549-openimageio-is-a-toolset-for-reading-writing-and-manipulating)
- [OpenImageIO use-after-scope in multithreaded TIFF decompression](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-65970-openimageio-is-a-toolset-for-reading-writing-and-manipulating)
- [OpenImageIO integer overflow in GIF palette splitting](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-65969-openimageio-is-a-toolset-for-reading-writing-and-manipulating)
- [OpenImageIO heap overflow in cineon image parsing](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-63638-openimageio-is-a-toolset-for-reading-writing-and-manipulating)