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GimpApplication

CVE-2023-44442

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.10.36 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
GIMP PSD 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 PSD 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 arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22094.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

GIMP contains a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in its PSD (Photoshop Document) file parser. The flaw exists due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying into a heap buffer, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and achieve arbitrary code execution through a specially crafted PSD file.

MitigationAvoid opening PSD files from untrusted sources. Update GIMP to the latest version when a security patch becomes available.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
GimpApplication
Affected:< 2.10.36

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify GIMP is installed
    Check for GIMP installation by running 'gimp --version' or 'gimp-2.10 --version' on Linux/Unix, or checking Program Files on Windows
    Affected if GIMP is present on the system
  2. Determine installed GIMP version
    Run 'gimp --version' or 'gimp-2.10 --version' from command line, or right-click GIMP.exe and view Properties > Details on Windows
    Affected if The version number returned is less than 2.10.36 (e.g., 2.10.34, 2.10.32, etc.)
  3. Confirm PSD file support is available
    Launch GIMP and attempt to open a PSD file via File > Open, or check if the PSD file format appears in GIMP's supported format list (Help > About > Supported File Formats)
    Affected if PSD format is listed as supported and the user can open PSD files
  4. Identify PSD files from untrusted sources
    Review recent file open history in GIMP (check recent files list) or audit system for PSD files downloaded from untrusted/unknown sources
    Affected if PSD files from untrusted or unknown sources have been opened in GIMP

The environment is affected if GIMP version is installed and is less than 2.10.36, and the PSD file parser feature is available or has been used to open files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.10.36 or later
Fixed in 2.10.36
Interim mitigation

Avoid opening PSD files from untrusted sources. Update GIMP to the latest version when a security patch becomes available.

Recommended fix High confidence

GIMP 2.10.36 or latest stable release

  1. Download GIMP version 2.10.36 or later from the official GIMP website (www.gimp.org) or use your system's package manager to update
  2. Verify the installed version by launching GIMP and checking Help > About GIMP to confirm the version is 2.10.36 or higher
  3. Avoid opening untrusted PSD files, particularly from unknown or untrusted sources, until GIMP is updated

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Gimp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,440
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,904.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-44442 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data