Description
libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. In 1.23.0 and earlier, a crafted HEIF sequence accepted by heif_context_read_from_memory() can leave the context with no registered sequence tracks and crash when heif_context_get_track(ctx, 0) is called. HeifContext::get_track() in libheif/context.cc executes assert(has_sequence()) before its normal error handling, so assert-enabled builds abort instead of allowing the public wrapper in libheif/api/libheif/heif_sequences.cc to return null. In release builds, removing the assertion lets the track_id zero path dereference m_tracks.begin()->second on an empty map, which is undefined behavior and typically crashes. The issue is reachable through documented public APIs after parsing attacker-controlled bytes. This issue is fixed in version 1.23.1.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| strukturag | libheif | < 1.23.1 | — |
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 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | libheif | 1.21.2-3ubuntu0.5 | USN-8774-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | libheif | 1.23.1-150700.3.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:3597-1 |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | libheif | 1.23.1-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23320-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | libheif | 1.23.1-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23320-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | libheif | 1.23.1-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11416-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | libheif | 1.23.1-160000.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21644-1 |
Advisories 5
- USN-8774-1 libheif vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Sep 18, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23320-1 Security update for libheif SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 10, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21644-1 Security update for libheif SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Aug 27, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:3597-1 Security update for libheif SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Aug 13, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11416-1 gdk-pixbuf-loader-libheif-1.23.1-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Aug 2, 2026