CVE-2025-10934
Description
A heap-based buffer overflow in GIMP’s X Window Dump (XWD) file parser allows an attacker to craft a malicious XWD file (or a web page that triggers opening one) that can overflow a heap buffer during parsing and lead to remote code execution in the context of the GIMP process. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2025-10934 and was disclosed by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative on 29 Oct 2025; GIMP has published a fix.
Statement
Heap-based buffer overflows that occur during image-file parsing are high-risk because image libraries and editors routinely parse attacker-controlled files from email, the web, or shared drives; a successful overflow can corrupt heap metadata or function pointers and result in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the GIMP process. Unlike a local information leak or read-only bug, this vulnerability enables control-flow hijacking (overwrite of heap-managed data or code pointers) when a user opens or previews a crafted XWD file — so an attacker only needs to get the victim to open a file or visit a page that causes the file to be loaded. The exploitability is increased when parsers perform large allocations based on unchecked length fields (the advisory describes missing validation of user-supplied lengths prior to copying into a heap buffer), which is a classic recipe for exploitable heap corruption. Because GIMP runs with the user’s privileges and is commonly installed on desktops, this makes the bug Important rather than merely Moderate.
Mitigation
No mitigation is currently available that meets Red Hat Product Security’s standards for usability, deployment, applicability, or stability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.8 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Buffer overflows generally lead to crashes. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the program into an infinite loop.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Modify Memory
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of a program's implicit security policy. Besides important user data, heap-based overflows can be used to overwrite function pointers that may be living in memory, pointing it to the attacker's code. Even in applications that do not explicitly use function pointers, the run-time will usually leave many in memory. For example, object methods in C++ are generally implemented using function pointers. Even in C programs, there is often a global offset table used by the underlying runtime.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control,Other
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Other
When the consequence is arbitrary code execution, this can often be used to subvert any other security service.
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