dbcve.org
ImagemagickApplication

CVE-2026-25638

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.9.13-40 / 7.1.2-15 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
ImageMagick is free and open-source software used for editing and manipulating digital images. Prior to versions 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40, memory leak exists in `coders/msl.c`. In the `WriteMSLImage` function of the `msl.c` file, resources are allocated. But the function returns early without releasing these allocated resources. Versions 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40 contain a patch.

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

ImageMagick contains a memory leak in the MSL (Magick Scripting Language) coder where the WriteMSLImage function allocates memory resources but returns early without properly releasing them. This can lead to resource exhaustion over time when processing MSL files.

MitigationUpgrade ImageMagick to version 7.1.2-15 or later (for 7.x) or 6.9.13-40 or later (for 6.x) which contains the patch to properly deallocate resources before early returns.

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
ImagemagickApplication
Affected:< 6.9.13-40>= 7.0.0-0, < 7.1.2-15

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

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 ImageMagick version
    Run 'convert --version' for ImageMagick 6.x or 'magick --version' for 7.x. If neither command works, check via package manager: 'dpkg -l imagemagick' (Debian) or 'rpm -qa | grep -i imagemagick' (RHEL).
    Affected if The version is less than 6.9.13-40 (for 6.x branch) or between 7.0.0-0 and 7.1.2-14 inclusive (for 7.x branch).
  2. Verify MSL coder availability
    Run 'convert -list configure' or 'magick -list configure' and look for MSL in the coder list, or run 'identify -list format' and check if MSL is listed under the Format column.
    Affected if MSL appears in the available coders or formats list, indicating the vulnerable code path could be triggered.
  3. Confirm MSL file processing capability
    Attempt to identify an MSL file if present: 'identify input.msl' or check if MSL can be read/written: 'convert input.msl output.png'. If MSL files exist in the environment, attempt processing to see if the coder handles them.
    Affected if MSL files can be read or written, meaning the WriteMSLImage function with the memory leak is reachable.
  4. Check for active MSL usage in workloads
    Search for .msl files on the system: 'find / -name "*.msl" 2>/dev/null' or review application logs for MSL-related image processing requests.
    Affected if MSL files are being processed or the system accepts MSL input, exposing the vulnerability.

You are affected if your ImageMagick version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the MSL coder is available or MSL files are processed.

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 6.9.13-40 / 7.1.2-15 or later
Fixed in 6.9.13-407.1.2-15
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ImageMagick to version 7.1.2-15 or later (for 7.x) or 6.9.13-40 or later (for 6.x) which contains the patch to properly deallocate resources before early returns.

Recommended fix High confidence

ImageMagick 6.9.13-40 (for 6.x users) or 7.1.2-15 (for 7.x users)

  1. 1. Identify your current ImageMagick version by running 'convert -version' or 'magick -version'
  2. 2. If using ImageMagick 6.x branch (6.x < 6.9.13-40), upgrade to version 6.9.13-40 or later
  3. 3. If using ImageMagick 7.x branch (7.0.0-0 <= version < 7.1.2-15), upgrade to version 7.1.2-15 or later
  4. 4. Use your system's package manager or compile from source to obtain the fixed version (e.g., apt-get install imagemagick, yum install ImageMagick, or download from imagemagick.org)
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'convert -version' and confirming the version number matches or exceeds the fixed release
Caveat Minor version upgrades typically do not introduce breaking changes, but test image processing workflows after upgrading to ensure compatibility

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

Fix this in Imagemagick Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-25638 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-25638 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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