Description
Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. A heap buffer overflow was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.3 and earlier. The heap overflow is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to gain code execution, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as `insert`. The bug is fixed in version v0.27.4.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exiv2 | exiv2 | < 0.27.4 | — |
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 | exiv2 | 0.27.5-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | exiv2 | 0.27.5-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | exiv2 | 0.27.5-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | exiv2 | 0.27.2-8ubuntu2.4 | USN-4964-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | exiv2 | 0.25-3.1ubuntu0.18.04.9 | USN-4964-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | exiv2 | 0.25-2.1ubuntu16.04.7+esm2 | USN-4964-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | exiv2 +3 | 0.27.4-5.el8 | RHSA-2021:4173 |
AlmaLinux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 8 | exiv2 +3 | 0.27.4-5.el8 | ALSA-2021:4173 |
Rocky Linux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 8 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-5.el8 | RLSA-2021:4173 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
Show 6 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | exiv2 | 0.27.4-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 | exiv2 +3 | 0.27.0-4.amzn2.0.2 | ALAS2-2023-2215 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | exiv2 | 0.27.5-1 | — |
Advisories 6
- ALSA-2021:4173 Moderate: exiv2 security, bug fix, and enhancement update AlmaLinux Security Advisories · Oct 29, 2026
- RHSA-2021:4173 Red Hat Security Advisory: exiv2 security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 27, 2026
- USN-4964-1 exiv2 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 25, 2026
- RLSA-2021:4173 Moderate: exiv2 security, bug fix, and enhancement update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Feb 4, 2026
- WID-SEC-2022-1968 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (exiv2): Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Aug 23, 2023
- ALAS2-2023-2215 Moderate: exiv2 security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Aug 23, 2023
References
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/security/advisories/GHSA-jgm9-5fw5-pw9p
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/commit/f9308839198aca5e68a65194f151a1de92398f54
- FEDORA-2021-0b27f220bd vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-dde4d7d47e vendor-advisory
- GLSA-202312-06 vendor-advisory