Description
ppm2tiff does not check the return value of the TIFFScanlineSize function, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted PPM image that triggers an integer overflow, a zero-memory allocation, and a heap-based buffer overflow.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | tiff | 4.0.2-5 | — |
| Debian 13 | tiff | 4.0.2-5 | — |
| Debian 12 | tiff | 4.0.2-5 | — |
| Debian 6.0 | tiff | 3.9.4-5+squeeze7 | DSA-2575-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | libtiff +2 | 3.9.4-9.el6_3 | RHSA-2012:1590 |
| RHEL 5 | libtiff +1 | 3.8.2-18.el5_8 | RHSA-2012:1590 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | tiff | 4.0.7-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10554-1 |
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2012:1590 Red Hat Security Advisory: libtiff security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-2575-1 tiff - heap overflow Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10554-1 libtiff-devel-32bit-4.0.7-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- DSA-2575 vendor-advisory
- 86878 vdb-entry
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=871700
- [oss-security] 20121102 libtiff: Missing return value check in ppm2tiff leading to heap-buffer overflow when reading a tiff file mailing-list
- 56372 vdb-entry
- USN-1631-1 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:0187 vendor-advisory
- libtiff-ppm2tiff-bo(79750) vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20121102 Re: libtiff: Missing return value check in ppm2tiff leading to heap-buffer overflow when reading a tiff file mailing-list
- 51133 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2012:1590 vendor-advisory