Out-of-bounds Read in Academysoftwarefoundation Openexr

CVE-2026-59981

OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image file format, widely used in the motion picture industry. In versions through 3.2.10, 3.3.0 through 3.3.12, and 3.4.0 through 3.4.13, the OpenEXRUtil library returns an out-of-bounds pointer from the SampleCountChannel::row() API when a deep image has a non-zero dataWindow origin. The row() accessor is documented as 0-based and computes its address from an internal base that is offset for absolute pixel coordinates, so the two coordinate models conflict whenever dataWindow.min is non-zero. For a deep image whose data window has a large negative vertical origin, row(0) points far outside the allocated sample-count buffer. An application that opens an attacker-controlled deep EXR file and accesses sample counts through row() performs an out-of-bounds read, which can crash the process or, under a controlled heap layout, return adjacent heap memory as sample-count values. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.11, 3.3.13, and 3.4.14.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-59981?
CVE-2026-59981 is a high-severity vulnerability in Academysoftwarefoundation Openexr, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2026-08-25.
How severe is CVE-2026-59981?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.