CVE-2025-5473
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 · uneditedGIMP ICO File Parsing Integer 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 ICO files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in an integer overflow before writing to memory. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-26752.
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 confidenceGIMP contains an integer overflow vulnerability in its ICO file parsing logic. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during ICO file parsing allows an integer overflow to occur before a memory write operation, enabling remote code execution in the context of the current process when a user opens a malicious ICO file.
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< 3.0.4CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed GIMP versionRun 'gimp --version' from command line, or open GIMP and go to Help > About, or check the application's version through your system's package managerAffected if The version number displayed is lower than 3.0.4 (for example, 2.10.x, 3.0.0, 3.0.3)
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Verify ICO file support is availableAttempt to open an ICO file in GIMP, or check if the ICO file format appears in GIMP's supported file format list under File > OpenAffected if ICO files can be opened or appear as a supported format in GIMP's file dialog
You are affected if GIMP version is below 3.0.4 AND the ICO file format can be opened in your GIMP installation
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped3.0.4
Do not open untrusted ICO files in GIMP. Wait for the official GIMP patch that adds proper integer overflow validation in ICO file parsing routines.
GIMP 3.0.4 or later
- 1. Backup any important GIMP files and custom configurations (brushes, plugins, palettes) before upgrading.
- 2. Uninstall the current version of GIMP.
- 3. Download GIMP version 3.0.4 or later from the official GIMP website (www.gimp.org) or your distribution's official package repository.
- 4. Install the new version following standard installation procedures for your operating system.
- 5. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About GIMP to confirm version 3.0.4 or higher is installed.
- 6. Avoid opening untrusted ICO files from unknown sources as a general security practice.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-5473 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-5473 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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