CVE-2026-8813: ExifReader denial of service via memory exhaustion in ICC mluc tag parsing

CVE-2026-8813 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-05-19

ExifReader, a library used to extract metadata from images, is vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack. By uploading a specially crafted image file (such as a JPEG or PNG), an attacker can force the application to consume excessive amounts of memory. This can lead to the application crashing or becoming unavailable, potentially disrupting services that process user-uploaded images.

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

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-8813 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-8813 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-8813?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 19 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Mattias Wadstein ExifReader < 4.39.0, >= 2.10.0, < 4.39.0; exifreader (npm) SEMVER:introduced=2.10.0,fixed=4.39.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-8813?
Yes. exifreader (npm): upgrade to 4.39.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-8813 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-8813?
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 4.39.0 or later
    npm install exifreader@4.39.0

Technical details

ExifReader is vulnerable to a denial of service (DoS) due to improper validation of specified quantities in the ICC 'multiLocalizedUnicodeType' (mluc) tag. When parsing an image with a crafted ICC profile, the library allocates memory based on attacker-controlled fields within the tag rather than the actual input size. This leads to an out-of-memory (OOM) condition and process termination. The vulnerability is reachable via any image format supporting ICC profiles, including JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, AVIF, JPEG XL, and WebP. A fix is available in version 4.39.0.

Affected products

  • mattiasw exifreader >= 2.10.0, < 4.39.0

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-8813
  • GHSA-h64w-w9pr-82m4

Timeline

  • 2026-05-18: disclosed
  • 2026-05-19: advisory: NVD publication date
  • 2026-05-29: patched: GitHub Advisory reviewed and updated

References

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