CVE-2026-25796: ImageMagick has memory leak of watermark Image object in ReadSTEGANOImage on multiple error/early-return paths

Published Feb 24, 2026
·
Updated

Summary

In ReadSTEGANOImage() (coders/stegano.c), the watermark Image object is not freed on three early-return paths, resulting in a definite memory leak (~13.5KB+ per invocation) that can be exploited for denial of service.

Direct leak of 13512 byte(s) in 1 object(s) allocated from: #0 0x7f5c11e27887 in interceptormalloc ../../../../src/libsanitizer/asan/asanmalloclinux.cpp:145 #1 0x55cdc38f65c4 in AcquireMagickMemory MagickCore/memory.c:536 #2 0x55cdc38f65eb in AcquireCriticalMemory MagickCore/memory.c:612 #3 0x55cdc3899e91 in AcquireImage MagickCore/image.c:154

Other sources

ImageMagick is free and open-source software used for editing and manipulating digital images. Prior to versions 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40, in ReadSTEGANOImage() (coders/stegano.c), the watermark Image object is not freed on three early-return paths, resulting in a definite memory leak (~13.5KB+ per invocation) that can be exploited for denial of service. Versions 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40 contain a patch.

— NVD

Affected Software

25 affected componentsFixes available
ImageMagick ImageMagick<7.1.2-15, <6.9.13-40
nuget/magick.net-q8-x86<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q8-x64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q8-arm64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q8-openmp-arm64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q8-anycpu<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-x86<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-x64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-arm64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-openmp-x86<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-openmp-x64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-openmp-arm64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-hdri-x86<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-hdri-x64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-hdri-arm64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-hdri-openmp-x64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-hdri-openmp-arm64<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-hdri-anycpu<14.10.3
14.10.3
nuget/magick.net-q16-anycpu<14.10.3
14.10.3
ImageMagick ImageMagick<6.9.13-40
ImageMagick ImageMagick>=7.0.0-0<7.1.2-15
alpine/imagemagick>=7.0.0-0<7.1.2.15-r0
7.1.2.15-r0
alpine/imagemagick>=7.0.0-0<7.1.2.15-r0
7.1.2.15-r0
alpine/imagemagick>=7.0.0-0<7.1.2.15-r0
7.1.2.15-r0
debian/imagemagick
8:6.9.11.60+dfsg-1.6+deb12u118:6.9.11.60+dfsg-1.6+deb12u158:7.1.1.43+dfsg1-1+deb13u128:7.1.1.43+dfsg1-1+deb13u148:7.1.2.34+dfsg1-18:7.1.2.35+dfsg1-2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q8-x86 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q8-x64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q8-arm64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q8-OpenMP-arm64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q8-AnyCPU to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  6. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-x86 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  7. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-x64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  8. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-arm64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  9. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-OpenMP-x86 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  10. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-OpenMP-x64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  11. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-OpenMP-arm64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  12. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-HDRI-x86 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  13. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-HDRI-x64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  14. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-HDRI-arm64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  15. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-HDRI-OpenMP-x64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  16. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-HDRI-OpenMP-arm64 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  17. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-HDRI-AnyCPU to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  18. Upgrade

    Upgrade nuget/Magick.NET-Q16-AnyCPU to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 14.10.3
  19. Upgrade

    Upgrade alpine/imagemagick to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 7.1.2.15-r0
  20. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/imagemagick to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 8:6.9.11.60+dfsg-1.6+deb12u11Fixed in 8:6.9.11.60+dfsg-1.6+deb12u15Fixed in 8:7.1.1.43+dfsg1-1+deb13u12Fixed in 8:7.1.1.43+dfsg1-1+deb13u14Fixed in 8:7.1.2.34+dfsg1-1Fixed in 8:7.1.2.35+dfsg1-2
  21. Upgrade

    Upgrade ImageMagick to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 7.1.2-15
  22. Upgrade

    Upgrade ImageMagick to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.9.13-40

Event History

Feb 24, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:57 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:57 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·01:16 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Data Sourced
via OSV·01:16 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Advisory Published
via GitHub·03:33 PM
Data Sourced
via GitHub·03:33 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Peer vulnerabilities

Found alongside the following vulnerabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-25796?

CVE-2026-25796 has been classified with a severity that highlights potential memory leaks in the ImageMagick library.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-25796?

To fix CVE-2026-25796, upgrade to ImageMagick version 14.10.3 or later.

3

Which versions of ImageMagick are affected by CVE-2026-25796?

CVE-2026-25796 affects ImageMagick versions prior to 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-25796?

CVE-2026-25796 is a memory leak vulnerability that occurs in the ReadSTEGANOImage function.

5

Is CVE-2026-25796 related to image processing?

Yes, CVE-2026-25796 is related to image processing as it involves a memory leak in an image handling function of ImageMagick.

Company

Resources

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203