CVE-2026-53496: ExifReader denial of service via uncaught RangeError in ISO-BMFF parser

CVE-2026-53496 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.3 · Published 2026-09-14

ExifReader is a library used by applications to extract metadata from image files. A vulnerability in how it handles HEIC and AVIF images allows an attacker to provide a specially crafted image that causes the application to crash. This can lead to a denial-of-service, potentially disrupting image processing workflows or taking down web services that handle user uploads.

Technologies: Mattias Wadstein ExifReader, exifreader (npm). Vendors: Mattias Wadstein, npm.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-53496 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-53496 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-53496?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.3, published 14 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Mattias Wadstein ExifReader <= 4.40.0; exifreader (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=4.40.1.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53496?
Yes. exifreader (npm): upgrade to 4.40.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-53496 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-53496?
Check whether you run Mattias Wadstein ExifReader or exifreader (npm) 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.

How to fix

  • exifreader (npm): upgrade to 4.40.1 or later
    npm install exifreader@4.40.1

Technical details

ExifReader (up to version 4.40.0) contains an uncaught RangeError in its ISO-BMFF parser used for HEIC and AVIF files. The root cause is a lack of bounds checking in `src/image-header-iso-bmff.js` within the `findMetaBox`, `parseBox`, and `getBoxLength` functions. Specifically, the parser unconditionally reads fields (such as the full-box version byte or 64-bit extended size) without verifying that the DataView buffer contains sufficient bytes. An attacker can trigger this by providing a truncated or malformed ISO-BMFF box following a valid `ftyp` box, leading to an unhandled exception that can crash the Node.js process or worker thread. This is fixed in version 4.40.1.

Affected products

  • mattiasw exifreader <= 4.40.0

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-53496
  • GHSA-g77h-45rf-hcx4

Timeline

  • 2026-06-06: disclosed: Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2026-07-17: advisory: GitHub Advisory published
  • 2026-07-17: patched: Version 4.40.1 released

References

This page as Markdown. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.