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Home / Threats / CVE-2026-22801

CVE-2026-22801 - Libpng Plugin

CVE-2026-22801

Vulnerability CVE-2026-22801 PLUGIN libpng MEDIUM

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. From 1.6.26 to 1.6.53, there is an integer truncation in the libpng simplified write API functions png_write_image_16bit and png_write_image_8bit causes heap buffer over-read when the caller provides a negative row stride (for bottom-up image layouts) or a stride exceeding 65535 bytes. The bug was introduced in libpng 1.6.26 (October 2016) by casts added to silence compiler warnings on 16-bit systems. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.6.54.

CVE-2026-22801

MEDIUM CVSS 6.8 Published 2026-01-12 Updated 2026-01-21
AI Risk Elevated (68/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: Public exploit references found Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Elevated (68/100)
Exploitability Medium
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status Public exploit references found

Threat Timeline

  1. 2026-01-12 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-01-21 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-09 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 16 days ago

AI enriched 16 days ago (2026-04-09 07:08 UTC)

Technical Summary

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. From 1.6.26 to 1.6.53, there is an integer truncation in the libpng simplified write API functions png_write_image_16bit and png_write_image_8bit causes heap buffer over-read when the caller provides a negative row stride (for bottom-up image layouts) or a stride exceeding 65535 bytes. The bug was introduced in libpng 1.6.26 (October 2016) by casts added to silence compiler warnings on 16-bit…

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 6.8). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Medium based on published exploit references.

Primary risk drivers: published exploit references

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Libpng PLUGIN · libpng Affected: >= 1.6.26, <= 1.6.53 Fixed version not specified
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