Description
libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Versions 1.21.2 and prior contain a heap-buffer-overflow (write) vulnerability in the grid tile compositing, allowing an attacker to write 64 bytes of fully attacker-controlled data past the end of a chroma plane heap allocation by crafting a HEIF/AVIF file with a 1×4 grid of odd-height tiles. The overflow is triggered during normal image decoding with default build configuration. The written bytes are chroma (Cb/Cr) pixel values from the attacking tile, giving the attacker full control over the overflow content. This issue has been fixed in version 1.22.0.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| strukturag | libheif | < 1.22.0 | — |
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 | libheif | 1.23.1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | libheif | 1.19.8-1+deb13u1 | — |
| Debian 12 | libheif | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | libheif | 1.21.2-3ubuntu0.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | libheif | 1.20.2-1ubuntu0.4 | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | libheif | 1.23.0-150700.3.15.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:2622-1 |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | libheif | 1.23.0-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22153-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | libheif | 1.23.0-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22153-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | libheif | 1.22.2-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:10878-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | libheif | 1.23.0-160000.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:20974-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | libheif | 1.22.2-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | libheif | 1.23.0-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | libheif +3 | 1.19.8-1.amzn2023.0.5 | ALAS2023-2026-1814 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
GitHub 1 repository
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FORTBRIDGE-UK/libheif-grid-nextjs-rce ★ 1 · Sep 24, 2026
Private Fortbridge PoC for the CVE-2026-32740 Next.js/sharp leak-to-memcpy-GOT RCE chain
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 5
- SUSE-SU-2026:2622-1 Security update for libheif SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 25, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:20974-1 Security update for libheif SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 24, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22153-1 Security update for libheif SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 24, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1814 Important: libheif security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 8, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:10878-1 gdk-pixbuf-loader-libheif-1.22.2-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 29, 2026