# CVE-2026-88360: libvips misaligned float load in PFM image processing

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88360-libvips-8-19-0-contains-a-memory-access-vulnerability-when  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-24. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-88360 · Severity: info · Published 2026-09-24

libvips, an open-source image processing library, crashes when processing specially crafted PFM (Portable Float Map) image files with unaligned headers. An attacker can cause a denial of service by supplying a malicious image file that triggers undefined memory access behavior, terminating the application on systems with strict memory alignment requirements or when built with sanitizers enabled.

Technologies: [Libvips](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/libvips). Vendors: [Libvips](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/libvips).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-88360 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-88360 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-88360?** Informational severity, published 24 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Libvips 8.19.0 and prior.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-88360?** 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-2026-88360 attacked?** It is attacked over the network or with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-88360?** Check whether you run Libvips 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

A CWE-843 undefined behavior vulnerability exists in the PFM loader's mmap path (vips_foreign_load_ppm_map), which aliases the mmap'd pixel data at a non-aligned offset when the text header length is not a multiple of 4 bytes. The vips_avg_scan() function subsequently dereferences this misaligned buffer through a float pointer, causing process termination on strict-alignment architectures (ARM32/SPARC) or UBSan-instrumented builds via SIGBUS or abort. Attack vector is network/local file processing with no authentication required.

## Affected products

- libvips libvips 8.19.0 and prior

## Timeline

- 2026-09-24: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/libvips/libvips/issues/5187](https://github.com/libvips/libvips/issues/5187)

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