# CVE-2026-8212: OSGeo GDAL heap buffer overflow in SWSDfldsrch

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-8212-osgeo-gdal-heap-buffer-overflow-in-swsdfldsrch  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-09. Updated: 2026-05-29  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-8212 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.3 · Published 2026-05-09

GDAL is a widely used open-source library for processing geospatial and satellite data. A vulnerability in its HDF4-EOS data format handler could allow a local attacker to cause a system crash or potentially execute unauthorized code by providing a specially crafted metadata file. This could disrupt operations or lead to unauthorized access on systems that automatically process geographic data.

Technologies: [GDAL (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/gdal). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-8212 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-8212 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-8212?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.3, published 9 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** GDAL (PyPI) < 3.13.0RC1, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=3.13.0RC1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-8212?** Yes. GDAL (PyPI): upgrade to 3.13.0RC1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-8212 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-8212?** Check whether you run GDAL (PyPI) 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

- GDAL (PyPI): upgrade to 3.13.0RC1 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "GDAL>=3.13.0RC1"
  ```


## Technical details

A heap-based buffer overflow exists in the SWSDfldsrch function within frmts/hdf4/hdf-eos/SWapi.c of OSGeo GDAL. The vulnerability is caused by an integer underflow when the code attempts to strip quotes from a metadata-derived string (FieldList) using memmove without verifying that the string length is at least two characters. When an empty string is processed, the length calculation wraps to a large value, leading to an out-of-bounds read/write. This requires local access to provide a malicious file for processing. The issue is addressed in version 3.13.0RC1 and commit 3e04c0385630e4d42517046d9a4967dfccfeb7fd.

## Affected products

- OSGeo GDAL < 3.13.0RC1

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-8212
- GHSA-r5m4-5vww-w9f5
- PYSEC-2026-4

## Timeline

- 2026-04-20: disclosed: Issue reported on GitHub
- 2026-05-09: advisory: NVD publication date
- 2026-05-10: advisory: GitHub Advisory published
- 2026-05-29: patched: GitHub Advisory reviewed and updated with patch info

## References

- [https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/issues/14398](https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/issues/14398)
- [https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/commit/3e04c0385630e4d42517046d9a4967dfccfeb7fd](https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/commit/3e04c0385630e4d42517046d9a4967dfccfeb7fd)
- [https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal](https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal)
- [https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/releases/tag/v3.13.0RC1](https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/releases/tag/v3.13.0RC1)
- [https://github.com/biniamf/pocs/tree/main/gdal-swsdfldsrch_oob-read](https://github.com/biniamf/pocs/tree/main/gdal-swsdfldsrch_oob-read)

## Related threats

- [OSGeo GDAL stack buffer overflow in netCDF driver](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-49014-osgeo-gdal-stack-buffer-overflow-in-netcdf-driver)
- [OSGeo GDAL heap buffer overflow in Grid File Handler](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-8213-osgeo-gdal-heap-buffer-overflow-in-grid-file-handler)
- [OSGeo GDAL out-of-bounds read in GDfieldinfo](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-8088-osgeo-gdal-out-of-bounds-read-in-gdfieldinfo)
- [OSGeo GDAL heap buffer overflow in HDF4-EOS driver](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-8087-osgeo-gdal-heap-buffer-overflow-in-hdf4-eos-driver)
- [A vulnerability was identified in OSGeo gdal up to 3.13.0dev-4. This issue affects the function SWnentries of the file…](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-8086-pysec-2026-2154-a-vulnerability-was-identified-in-osgeo-gdal-up-to)