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LibheifApplication · Struktur

CVE-2026-49271

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.22.1 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. Prior to version 1.22.1, the uncompressed HEIF decoder validates explicit icef compressed-unit offsets using unit_offset + unit_size. Because the addition can wrap, a crafted HEIF file can pass the range check and then construct a vector from iterators outside the compressed item buffer, producing an out-of-bounds heap read and crash. Version 1.22.1 patches the issue.

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

libheif's uncompressed HEIF decoder has an integer overflow vulnerability in its validation of icef compressed-unit offsets. The calculation unit_offset + unit_size can wrap around, allowing a crafted HEIF file to pass the range check but then construct a vector from iterators outside the compressed item buffer, resulting in an out-of-bounds heap read and crash.

MitigationUpgrade libheif to version 1.22.1 or later which patches the integer overflow in offset validation. Until then, exercise caution when processing HEIF files from untrusted sources.

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
LibheifApplication
Affected:< 1.22.1

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Identify if libheif is installed
    Check for libheif library files on the system. On Linux, search for libheif files: find /usr -name 'libheif*' 2>/dev/null. On systems with package managers, check installed packages: dpkg -l | grep libheif (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -qa | grep libheif (RHEL/CentOS).
    Affected if libheif library is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed libheif version
    Run the heif-info tool if available: heif-info --version. Alternatively, check the library file version: ls -la /path/to/libheif.so.* or readelf -d /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libheif.so.* | grep SONAME. The version number is embedded in the filename or can be queried from the shared library.
    Affected if The reported version is less than 1.22.1 (for example, 1.22.0, 1.21.x, or earlier)
  3. Identify applications or tools using libheif
    Check which applications on the system may process HEIF files and link to libheif. Common tools include: imagemagick (identify -list format | grep -i heif), ffmpeg (ffmpeg -version shows heif support), gimp, or graphics utilities. Use ldd on binary executables to confirm libheif linkage: ldd /usr/bin/identify | grep heif.
    Affected if Applications that process HEIF images are installed and link to libheif
  4. Verify if uncompressed HEIF decoding is in use
    The vulnerability specifically affects uncompressed HEIF files using icef compressed-unit handling. Check if the system processes .heic or .heif files, particularly those that may be uncompressed (not AVC/H.265 encoded). Examine any image processing workflows, automated tasks, or services that handle HEIF files from untrusted sources.
    Affected if HEIF files are being decoded using libheif's uncompressed decoder path (icef compressed-unit handling)

The environment is affected if libheif version 1.22.1 or higher is not installed, AND HEIF image files are processed by applications that use libheif for decoding.

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 1.22.1 or later
Fixed in 1.22.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libheif to version 1.22.1 or later which patches the integer overflow in offset validation. Until then, exercise caution when processing HEIF files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

libheif 1.22.1

  1. Check the currently installed libheif version using package manager commands (e.g., `dpkg -l | grep libheif` on Debian/Ubuntu, or `brew list libheif` on macOS)
  2. Upgrade libheif to version 1.22.1 or later. On Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt update && sudo apt install libheif1` or manually download from https://github.com/strukturag/libheif/releases/tag/v1.22.1
  3. On RHEL/CentOS/Fedora: `sudo dnf update libheif` or `sudo yum update libheif`
  4. If building from source, download version 1.22.1 from the GitHub releases page, rebuild, and reinstall the library
  5. Rebuild and restart any applications that depend on libheif to ensure they use the patched version
  6. Verify the fix by confirming the installed version is 1.22.1 or later

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

Fix this in Libheif Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2026-49271 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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