🛡️ CVE-2026-25646 on Debian — libpng1.6

⚪ Unknown ✅ No Known Exploit OSV
N/A
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. Prior to 1.6.55, an out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the png_set_quantize() API function. When the function is called with no histogram and the number of colors in the palette is more than twice the maximum supported by the user's display, certain palettes will cause the function to enter into an infinite loop that reads past the end of an internal heap-allocated buffer. The images that trigger this vulnerability are valid per the PNG specification. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.6.55.

Distribution advisory

This page covers CVE-2026-25646 as tracked by Debian, for the package libpng1.6. The fix is available in version 1.6.55-1; earlier versions remain affected.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is high, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high.

Weakness class

DEBIAN-CVE-2026-25646 is classified as CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow. A write past the end of a heap allocation corrupts allocator metadata or neighbouring objects.

Affected software

DEBIAN-CVE-2026-25646 is recorded against 1 package.

  • libpng1.6 (fixed in 1.6.55-1)

Timeline and source

Published on 10 February 2026 and last revised on 12 August 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from OSV.

References

security-tracker.debian.org (Advisory)

CVE-2026-25646 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity Unknown
CVSS Score N/A
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE N/A
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source OSV
Published 2026-02-10
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-08-12
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
libpng1.6 — 1.6.55-1

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