Description
libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. From to 1.8.7-r1, signed integer overflow in sixel_encode_highcolor's allocation size calculation can lead to a heap buffer overflow. The public sixel_encode entry point validates only that width and height are greater than zero, with no upper bound. width and height are multiplied as plain int when computing the allocation size for paletted_pixels and normalized_pixels. Any caller that asks libsixel to encode a pixel buffer with width times height greater than INT_MAX (about 2.15 billion) will hit a wrapped allocation size; under the right wrap, the malloc succeeds with a buffer much smaller than the encoder expects, and the encoder writes past the end of the heap allocation. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.8.7-r2.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| saitoha | libsixel | >= 1.4.4, < 1.8.7-r2 | — |
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 | libsixel | 1:1.8.7-r2-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | libsixel | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | libsixel | 1.10.5-3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12420-1 |
Advisories 1
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12420-1 libsixel-bash-completion-1.10.5-3.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 5, 2026