CVE-2018-3838
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of...
CVE-2018-3838 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.3) in Cisco Systems, Inc. Simple Directmedia, published April 6, 2018. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.82%, the 78th percentile. Fixed in sdl2_image 2.0.1-r2.
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
5.3
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2018-3838- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2018-15624
5.3
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
EUVD-2018-15624- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-mh87-4cjg-xvmr
6.5
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of...
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
GHSA-mh87-4cjg-xvmr- CVSS 3.0
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-125, CWE-200
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
6.5
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2018-3838- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-125
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2018-3838
6.5
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
ALPINE-CVE-2018-3838- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.5
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2018-3838- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 4 moreShow less
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2018-3838
6.5
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2018-3838- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2018-3838
6.5
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2018-3838- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.0
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2018-0276 No score
Updated SDL_image packages fix security vulnerability
Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in the image loading library for Simple DirectMedia Layer 1.2, which could result in denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code if malformed image files are opened (CVE-2017-12122, CVE-2017-14440, CVE-2017-14441, CVE-2017-14442, CVE-2017-14448, CVE-2017-14450, CVE-2018-3837, CVE-2018-3838, CVE-2018-3839).
- Record
MGASA-2018-0276- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2018-0454 No score
Updated sdl2/mingw-SDL2 packages fix security vulnerabilities
This update fixes various security vulnerabilities affecting the SDL2_image library, listed below. The fixes are provided in SDL2_image 2.0.4, which depends on SDL2 2.0.8 or later. As such, the SDL2 and SDL2_mixer libraries are also updated to their current stable releases, providing various bug fixes and features.
The security vulnerabilities fixed in this update are the following:
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the ILBM image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted ILBM image can cause a heap overflow resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0488, CVE-2017-12122)
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the ILBM image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted ILBM image can cause a stack overflow resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0489, CVE-2017-14440)
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the ICO image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted ICO image can cause an integer overflow, cascading to a heap overflow resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0490, CVE-2017-14441)
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the BMP image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted BMP image can cause a stack overflow resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0491, CVE-2017-14442)
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause a heap overflow resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0497, CVE-2017-14448)
A double-Free vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause a Double-Free situation to occur. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0498, CVE-2017-14449)
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the GIF image parsing functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted GIF image can lead to a buffer overflow on a global section. An attacker can display an image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2017-0499, CVE-2017-14450)
An exploitable information disclosure vulnerability exists in the PCX image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted PCX image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2018-0519, CVE-2018-3837)
An exploitable information vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds read on the heap, resulting in information disclosure. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2018-0520, CVE-2018-3838)
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.2. A specially crafted XCF image can cause an out-of-bounds write on the heap, resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2018-0521, CVE-2018-3839)
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the XCF image rendering functionality of SDL2_image-2.0.3. A specially crafted XCF image can cause a heap overflow, resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability. (TALOS-2018-0645, CVE-2018-3977)
- Record
MGASA-2018-0454- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
sdl2_imageAlpine:v3.5 |
before 2.0.1-r2 | 2.0.1-r2 |
sdl2_imageAlpine:v3.6 |
before 2.0.1-r2 | 2.0.1-r2 |
sdl2_imageAlpine:v3.7 |
before 2.0.2-r1 | 2.0.2-r1 |
libsdl2-imageDebian:12 |
before 2.0.3+dfsg1-1 | 2.0.3+dfsg1-1 |
libsdl2-imageDebian:13 |
before 2.0.3+dfsg1-1 | 2.0.3+dfsg1-1 |
libsdl2-imageDebian:14 |
before 2.0.3+dfsg1-1 | 2.0.3+dfsg1-1 |
sdl-image1.2Debian:12 |
before 1.2.12-8 | 1.2.12-8 |
sdl-image1.2Debian:13 |
before 1.2.12-8 | 1.2.12-8 |
sdl-image1.2Debian:14 |
before 1.2.12-8 | 1.2.12-8 |
sdl-image1.2Debian:7 |
before 1.2.12-2+deb7u2, plus listed versions 1.2.12-21.2.12-2+deb7u1 |
1.2.12-2+deb7u2 |
Show 16 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
libsdl2-imageDebian:8 |
before 2.0.0+dfsg-3+deb8u1, plus listed versions 2.0.0+dfsg-3 |
2.0.0+dfsg-3+deb8u1 |
libsdl2-imageDebian:9 |
before 2.0.1+dfsg-2+deb9u1, plus listed versions 2.0.1+dfsg-2 |
2.0.1+dfsg-2+deb9u1 |
sdl-image1.2Debian:8 |
before 1.2.12-5+deb8u1, plus listed versions 1.2.12-5 |
1.2.12-5+deb8u1 |
sdl-image1.2Debian:9 |
before 1.2.12-5+deb9u1, plus listed versions 1.2.12-5 |
1.2.12-5+deb9u1 |
SDL_imageMageia:5 |
before 1.2.12-8.2.mga5 | 1.2.12-8.2.mga5 |
SDL_imageMageia:6 |
before 1.2.12-9.2.mga6 | 1.2.12-9.2.mga6 |
sdl2Mageia:6 |
before 2.0.9-1.mga6 | 2.0.9-1.mga6 |
sdl2_imageMageia:6 |
before 2.0.4-1.mga6 | 2.0.4-1.mga6 |
sdl2_mixerMageia:6 |
before 2.0.4-1.mga6 | 2.0.4-1.mga6 |
mingw-SDL2Mageia:6 |
before 2.0.9-1.mga6 | 2.0.9-1.mga6 |
mingw-SDL2_imageMageia:6 |
before 2.0.4-1.mga6 | 2.0.4-1.mga6 |
mingw-SDL2_mixerMageia:6 |
before 2.0.4-1.mga6 | 2.0.4-1.mga6 |
libsdl2-imageUbuntu:14.04:LTS |
before 2.0.0+dfsg-3+deb8u1build0.14.04.1, plus listed versions 2.0.0+dfsg-22.0.0+dfsg-32.0.0+dfsg-3build2 |
2.0.0+dfsg-3+deb8u1build0.14.04.1 |
sdl-image1.2Ubuntu:14.04:LTS |
before 1.2.12-5+deb9u1build0.14.04.1, plus listed versions 1.2.12-4ubuntu11.2.12-51.2.12-5build2 |
1.2.12-5+deb9u1build0.14.04.1 |
libsdl2-imageUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 2.0.1+dfsg-2+deb9u1build0.16.04.1, plus listed versions 2.0.0+dfsg-3build22.0.1+dfsg-12.0.1+dfsg-2 |
2.0.1+dfsg-2+deb9u1build0.16.04.1 |
sdl-image1.2Ubuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 1.2.12-5+deb9u1build0.16.04.1, plus listed versions 1.2.12-5build2 |
1.2.12-5+deb9u1build0.16.04.1 |
History
| When | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | aliases | EUVD |
| 2026-11-02 | created | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
References
debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4177
debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4184
security.gentoo.org/glsa/201903-17
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0520
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-3838
github.com/advisories/GHSA-mh87-4cjg-xvmr
Show 21 moreShow less
security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2018-3838
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2018-3838
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2018-0276.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=22967
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2018-0454.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=22769
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0488
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0489
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0490
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0491
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0497
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0498
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0499
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0519
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0521
talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0645
hg.libsdl.org/SDL/file/8feb5da6f2fb/WhatsNew.txt
libsdl.org/projects/SDL_image
libsdl.org/projects/SDL_mixer
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-3838
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-3838