REDHAT-BUG-2480000: High severity Fabrice Bellard libheif vulnerability

Published May 19, 2026
·
Updated

libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Versions 1.21.2 and prior contain a heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay() in libheif/pixelimage.cc. When compositing an overlay image (iovl) whose child image has a different bit depth for the alpha channel than for the color channels, the function indexes into the alpha plane using the color channel stride (instride) instead of the previously retrieved alphastride, causing reads past the end of the alpha buffer (up to 3,123 bytes for a 100×50 image with 10-bit color and 8-bit alpha). A crafted HEIF file can exploit this to cause a denial of service (crash) or potentially disclose adjacent heap memory through leaked bytes embedded in the decoded output pixels. This issue has been fixed in versionThis issue has been fixed in version 1.22.0.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Fabrice Bellard libheif<=1.21.2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade libheif to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1.22.0
  2. Compensating control

    If you cannot upgrade immediately, avoid decoding/compositing HEIF/AVIF overlays (iovl) where the overlay child image uses different bit depths for the alpha channel versus the color channels, since this triggers the heap buffer over-read in HeifPixelImage::overlay() in libheif/pixelimage.cc.

Event History

May 19, 2026
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·09:01 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability ID REDHAT-BUG-2480000?

REDHAT-BUG-2480000 refers to a heap buffer over-read in the libheif library versions 1.21.2 and prior.

2

What is the severity of REDHAT-BUG-2480000?

The severity of REDHAT-BUG-2480000 is classified as high with a severity score of 7.

3

How do I fix REDHAT-BUG-2480000?

To fix REDHAT-BUG-2480000, update libheif to the latest version that addresses this vulnerability.

4

What types of files are affected by REDHAT-BUG-2480000?

REDHAT-BUG-2480000 affects HEIF and AVIF file formats processed by the libheif library.

5

What is the impact of REDHAT-BUG-2480000?

The impact of REDHAT-BUG-2480000 includes potential unauthorized access to memory due to the heap buffer over-read.

Contact

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