Description
HDF5 is a high-performance library and a file format specification that implements the HDF5 data model. If a file is corrupted such that an array datatype's size, the number of elements, and the element size are not in agreement it can trigger an out of bounds read. The array datatype stores the full size of the datatype (`dt->shared->size`) separately from the number of elements (`dt->shared->u.array.nelem`) and the element size (`dt->shared->parent->shared->size`). If any one of these are corrupted so that they don't align with the others (element size * nelem = full size), it can lead to an out of bounds read. Depending on what is corrupted, it can alter the type of out of bounds read triggered. The vulnerability is present only in files that have been maliciously altered, as its generally not possible to independently alter the full size of the datatype, the element count and the element size. As such, this is only present if a malicious actor is altering files, and won't appear in regular usage.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDFGroup | hdf5 | < 2.0.0 | — |
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 | hdf5 | 2.1.0+repack-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | hdf5 | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | hdf5 +9 | 2.2.0-0.1.1.hum1 | RHSA-2026:61630 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | hdf5 | 1.14.6-4 | — |
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2026:61630 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Sep 22, 2026