Deserialization in Openmicroscopy Bio-Formats
CVE-2026-22187
Bio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0 perform unsafe Java deserialization of attacker-controlled memoization cache files (.bfmemo) during image processing. The loci.formats.Memoizer class automatically loads and deserializes memo files associated with images without validation, integrity checks, or trust enforcement. An attacker who can supply a crafted .bfmemo file alongside an image can trigger deserialization of untrusted data, which may result in denial of service, logic manipulation, or potentially remote code execution in environments where suitable gadget chains are present on the classpath.
Vulnerability class: Insecure Deserialization
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (41.9th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 42nd percentile — 41.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.001
Affected products
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Jan/7 (technical-description, Mailing List, exploit)
- docs.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats/ (release-notes, product, Release Notes)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/bio-formats-memoizer-unsafe-deserialization-via-bf… (Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-22187?
- CVE-2026-22187 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openmicroscopy Bio-Formats, classified under Deserialization of Untrusted Data. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-01-07.
- How severe is CVE-2026-22187?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2026-22187 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.