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CVE-2026-33020

libsixel: Integer Overflow in write_png_to_file() leads to Heap-based Buffer Overflow

7.1 HighFix available

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
Required

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

0.21%Up 0.2 points since Apr 15, 2026
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.1

libsixel: Integer Overflow in write_png_to_file() leads to Heap-based Buffer Overflow

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Record
CVE-2026-33020
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-122, CWE-190
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-22744 7.1

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Record
EUVD-2026-22744
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.1

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Record
CVE-2026-33020
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-122, CWE-190
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.1

libsixel: Integer Overflow in write_png_to_file() leads to Heap-based Buffer Overflow

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Record
CVE-2026-33020
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-122, CWE-190
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-33020 7.1

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-33020
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-33020 7.1

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain an integer overflow which leads to a heap buffer overflow via sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() in frame.c, where allocation size and pointer offset computations for palettised images (PAL1, PAL2, PAL4) are performed using int arithmetic before casting to size_t. For images whose pixel count exceeds INT_MAX / 4, the overflow produces an undersized heap allocation for the conversion buffer and a negative pointer offset for the normalization sub-buffer, after which sixel_helper_normalize_pixelformat() writes the full image data starting from the invalid pointer, causing massive heap corruption confirmed by ASAN. An attacker providing a specially crafted large palettised PNG can corrupt the heap of the victim process, resulting in a reliable crash and potential arbitrary code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-33020
CVSS 3.1
7.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
libsixel
Debian:12
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.3-31.10.5-11:1.8.7-11:1.8.7-21:1.8.7-3
Show 4 moreShow less
1:1.8.7-41:1.8.7-51:1.8.7-61:1.8.7-r2-1
None known
libsixel
Debian:13
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.5-11:1.8.7-11:1.8.7-21:1.8.7-31:1.8.7-41:1.8.7-51:1.8.7-61:1.8.7-r2-1
None known
libsixel
Debian:14
before 1:1.8.7-r2-1, plus listed versions
1.10.5-11:1.8.7-11:1.8.7-21:1.8.7-31:1.8.7-41:1.8.7-51:1.8.7-6
1:1.8.7-r2-1
libsixel
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.4.2-11.5.2-2
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.5.2-21.7.3-1
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.8.2-11.8.2-2.1
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.8.6-21.10.3-21.10.3-3
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:24.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.3-31.10.3-3build1
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:25.10
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.5-1
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:26.10
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.5-1build11:1.8.7-r2-1
None known
libsixel
Ubuntu:26.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.10.5-11.10.5-1build1
None known

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2026-33020 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.1) in Saitoha Libsixel, published April 14, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.21%, the 10th percentile. Fixed in libsixel 1:1.8.7-r2-1.

References

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