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CVE-2026-61626

libass: Out-of-bounds bit clears for negative Matroska ReadOrder values

7.3 HighFix available

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
Passive

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

0.12%Unchanged since Oct 31, 2026
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.3

libass: Out-of-bounds bit clears for negative Matroska ReadOrder values

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Record
CVE-2026-61626
CVSS 4.0
7.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Weakness
CWE-787
Updated
2026-11-04
EUVDEUVD-2026-114006 7.3

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Record
EUVD-2026-114006
CVSS 4.0
7.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Updated
2026-11-05
NVD 7.3

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Record
CVE-2026-61626
CVSS 4.0
7.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Weakness
CWE-787
Updated
2026-11-05
OSV 7.3

libass: Out-of-bounds bit clears for negative Matroska ReadOrder values

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Record
CVE-2026-61626
CVSS 4.0
7.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Weakness
CWE-787
Updated
2026-11-06
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-61626 7.3

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-61626
CVSS 4.0
7.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Updated
2026-11-05
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-61626 7.3

libass is a portable subtitle renderer for the ASS/SSA (Advanced Substation Alpha/Substation Alpha) subtitle format. From 0.17.4 until 0.17.5, libass event pruning does not guard negative Matroska ReadOrder values, allowing an attacker to clear arbitrarily many bits to zero at attacker-controlled positions near the NULL pointer. Exploitation requires a malicious Matroska stream loaded through ass_process_chunk, enabled read-order checking, and later pruning of the malicious events. Read-order checking is enabled by default unless ass_set_check_readorder is called with zero; pruning must occur explicitly through ass_prune_events or through automatic pruning previously enabled with ass_configure_prune. On common systems with arithmetic right shift, 32-bit int values, the upper address region reserved to the kernel, and matching binary/kernel architecture, the expected consequence is denial of service. More extensive exploitation on uncommon systems is theoretical and strongly constrained by the target addresses, bit-clearing-only mutation, and ASLR. This issue is fixed in version 0.17.5.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-61626
CVSS 4.0
7.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Updated
2026-11-05
OSVUSN-8815-1 No score

libass vulnerabilities

It was discovered that libass incorrectly handled parsing operations for specific nested character strings. An attacker could use this issue to cause libass to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. (CVE-2020-24994)

It was discovered that libass incorrectly handled certain outline processing operations. An attacker could use this issue to cause libass to crash, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. (CVE-2020-26682)

It was discovered that libass incorrectly handled certain ASS subtitle files when measuring wrapped lines. An attacker could use this issue to cause libass to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. (CVE-2026-61627)

It was discovered that libass incorrectly handled certain Matroska subtitle chunks with negative ReadOrder values. An attacker could use this issue to cause libass to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. (CVE-2026-61626)

Record
USN-8815-1
Updated
2026-11-03

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
libass
Debian:14
before 1:0.17.5-1, plus listed versions
1:0.17.3-11:0.17.4-11:0.17.4-2
1:0.17.5-1
libass
Ubuntu:Pro:26.04:LTS
before 1:0.17.4-2ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
1:0.17.3-11:0.17.4-2
1:0.17.4-2ubuntu0.1~esm1
libass
Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 0.10.1-3ubuntu1+esm2, plus listed versions
0.10.1-1ubuntu10.10.1-30.10.1-3ubuntu10.10.1-3ubuntu1+esm1
0.10.1-3ubuntu1+esm2
libass
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 1:0.14.0-1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
1:0.13.7-21:0.14.0-1
1:0.14.0-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
libass
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 1:0.14.0-2ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
1:0.14.0-2
1:0.14.0-2ubuntu0.1~esm1
libass
Ubuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 1:0.17.1-2ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
1:0.17.1-11:0.17.1-21:0.17.1-2build1
1:0.17.1-2ubuntu0.1~esm1
libass
Ubuntu:Pro:26.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 1:0.17.4-2ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
1:0.17.3-11:0.17.4-2
1:0.17.4-2ubuntu0.1~esm1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affectedCVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV
factsOSV
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV

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

In short

CVE-2026-61626 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.3) in Libass, published July 14, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.12%, the 1st percentile. Fixed in libass 1:0.17.5-1.

References

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