Buffer overflow in Ffmpeg

CVE-2026-66040

FFmpeg through 8.1.2, fixed in commit b506faf, contains a heap out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the native PNG and APNG encoders that allows remote attackers to corrupt heap memory by supplying a crafted PNG image with a malicious eXIf chunk. Attackers can craft an eXIf chunk where multiple IFD entries reference the same large value payload, causing canonical serialization to expand the output far beyond the undersized allocation estimated by add_exif_profile_size(), resulting in png_write_chunk() writing tens of thousands of bytes past the buffer boundary, leading to deterministic heap corruption, process crash, and potentially arbitrary code execution.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

EPSS: 0.005 (41.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

  • Ffmpeg — versions 0, b506fafec9a19fcbc2be5271875fd4a63d6615bc

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-66040?
CVE-2026-66040 is a high-severity vulnerability in Ffmpeg, classified under Heap-based Buffer Overflow. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2026-07-24.
How severe is CVE-2026-66040?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.