CVE-2026-22801: libpng Out-of-bounds Read

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-22801 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in libpng. EPSS estimates a 0.13% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 2.5% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 12-01-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 13-01-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. From 1.6.26 to 1.6.53, there is an integer truncation in the libpng simplified write API functions png_write_image_16bit and png_write_image_8bit causes heap buffer over-read when the caller provides a negative row stride (for bottom-up image layouts) or a stride exceeding 65535 bytes. The bug was introduced in libpng 1.6.26 (October 2016) by casts added to silence compiler warnings on 16-bit systems. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.6.54.

• CWE-125Out-of-bounds ReadThe product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
• CWE-190Integer Overflow or WraparoundThe product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.