High [CVE-2026-2050] Arbitrary code execution via heap-based buffer overflow in HDR file parsing

GIMP HDR File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of GIMP.

User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of HDR files.

The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process.

Was ZDI-CAN-28266. A flaw was found in GIMP.

Successful exploitation requires user interaction, where an attacker must persuade a user to open a malicious file. This prerequisite reduces the immediate threat compared to remote, unauthenticated flaws, but the potential for system compromise warrants an Important rating.

Red Hat severity: Important — CVSS 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Weakness: CWE-131.

Affected products named by the advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On; and 9 more.