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GimpApplication

CVE-2025-8672

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
MacOS version of GIMP bundles a Python interpreter that inherits the Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) permissions granted by the user to the main application bundle. An attacker with local user access can invoke this interpreter with arbitrary commands or scripts, leveraging the application's previously granted TCC permissions to access user's files in privacy-protected folders without triggering user prompts. Accessing other resources beyond previously granted TCC permissions will prompt the user for approval in the name of GIMP, potentially disguising attacker's malicious intent. This issue has been fixed in 3.1.4.2 version of GIMP.

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

The macOS version of GIMP bundles a Python interpreter that inherits the Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) permissions granted to the main GIMP application. A local attacker with user access can invoke this bundled Python interpreter to execute arbitrary commands or scripts, leveraging GIMP's previously granted TCC permissions to access privacy-protected folders (Documents, Downloads, Desktop, etc.) without triggering additional user prompts.

MitigationUpgrade GIMP to version 3.1.4.2 or later, which removes the vulnerable bundled Python interpreter. If Python scripting is required, use a standalone Python installation with its own permission grants rather than relying on the application's inherited TCC permissions.

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:>= 3.0.2

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Check installed GIMP version on macOS
    Run 'gimp --version' in Terminal or right-click GIMP.app, select 'Show Package Contents', navigate to Contents/Info.plist and check CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if Version is 3.0.2 or higher (and less than 3.1.4.2)
  2. Locate the GIMP application bundle
    Open Finder, go to /Applications, verify GIMP.app exists. If installed elsewhere, check the corresponding path.
    Affected if GIMP.app is present on the system
  3. Identify bundled Python interpreter in GIMP.app
    Navigate to GIMP.app/Contents/Resources/ and look for a 'bin' folder containing python executables, or search for any file named 'python*' within the GIMP application bundle using 'find /Applications/GIMP.app -name "python*"'
    Affected if A python interpreter binary exists within the GIMP application bundle (this is the vulnerable component)
  4. Verify the TCC permission inheritance risk
    GIMP must have been granted TCC permissions (such as Full Disk Access or access to Documents, Downloads, Desktop folders). Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access to see if GIMP is listed and enabled.
    Affected if GIMP has been granted TCC permissions for privacy-protected folders or Full Disk Access, allowing the bundled Python to inherit these permissions

You are affected if GIMP version 3.0.2 or higher is installed on macOS with a bundled Python interpreter present and GIMP has been granted TCC permissions to access protected folders.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade GIMP to version 3.1.4.2 or later, which removes the vulnerable bundled Python interpreter. If Python scripting is required, use a standalone Python installation with its own permission grants rather than relying on the application's inherited TCC permissions.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.1.4.2

  1. Verify current GIMP version by launching the application and checking Help > About GIMP
  2. Back up any custom brushes, plugins, or settings from the current GIMP installation (typically in ~/Library/Application Support/GIMP)
  3. Uninstall the current version of GIMP from the Applications folder
  4. Download GIMP version 3.1.4.2 from the official GIMP website (https://www.gimp.org/downloads/) or a trusted source
  5. Verify the downloaded installer integrity (e.g., check SHA256 checksum if provided)
  6. Run the GIMP 3.1.4.2 installer and complete the installation
  7. Launch GIMP 3.1.4.2 to confirm successful installation

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

Fix this in Gimp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2025-8672 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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