Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-90949: GIMP heap-based buffer overflow in PSP file loader

CVE-2026-90949 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-09-14

Technologies: GIMP (GNOME) Gimp.

Executive brief

GIMP is a widely-used image editing application that supports various file formats including PSP (Paint Shop Pro) files. A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in GIMP's PSP file loader can be triggered when opening a malicious PSP file, potentially leading to application crashes or arbitrary code execution on the user's system.

Technical details

A heap-based buffer overflow exists in GIMP's PSP file loader due to a mismatch between the allocated buffer size and the amount of data decompressed when processing compressed selection channels. The vulnerability is triggered via network-reachable attack vector (user must open a malicious PSP file), requiring user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious PSP file that, when opened in GIMP, causes memory corruption leading to a crash (denial of service) or arbitrary code execution. The issue is classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write). No mitigation or patch information is currently available according to Red Hat.

Affected products

  • GIMP (GNOME) GIMP <UNKNOWN>

Timeline

  • 2026-09-14: disclosed
  • other: Not reported as exploited in the wild as of disclosure date

References