CVE-2026-120433
Description
A flaw was found in Netpbm. This vulnerability allows an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by tricking a user or system into processing a specially crafted image file. A lack of boundary checking in the picttoppm utility allows a polygon with an excessive point count in a QuickDraw Picture (PICT) file to overflow a stack buffer.
Statement
Red Hat Product Security rates this vulnerability as Important because an attacker can potentially execute arbitrary code or trigger an application crash within the privileges of the executing process. Exploitation requires user interaction or an automated ingestion pipeline that passes untrusted Apple QuickDraw graphic data to the standalone conversion tool. While the affected binary is not an active network service by default, environments running server-side file transformation workflows or multi-user systems where users process external graphics are directly exposed.
Mitigation
Update to a fixed netpbm release (upstream 10.86.51 / 11.02.30 / 11.15.08, or RHEL errata builds such as RHEL 8 netpbm 10.82.00-9 once released); alternatively avoid processing untrusted PICT files with picttoppm and sandbox or filter image-ingestion pipelines that pass untrusted data to conversion tools.
--- CME Mitigation Guidance (2026-11-04) ---
Disclaimer: The following mitigation solutions are provided as a courtesy, pending the application of an official patch. This content was generated utilizing AI tools in conjunction with data from https://cmetaxonomy.org. Customers are advised to independently evaluate and test these temporary mitigations within their own infrastructure.
The highest-value action is to enforce bounds checking on polygon point counts in picttoppm to prevent stack buffer overruns when parsing QuickDraw PICT files: upgrade to Netpbm 10.86.51, 11.02.30, 11.15.08 (or the fixed Netpbm builds), which prevent buffer overrun when parsing polygons with large point counts in picttoppm, closing crafted QuickDraw PICT file containing a polygon with excessive point count. Until patched, this is a concern on Linux systems executing picttoppm via automated file transformation pipelines or user interaction, so Avoid processing untrusted PICT files with picttoppm, and isolate or filter image-ingestion pipelines that pass external graphics to conversion tools. As a compensating measure, Enable ASLR to randomize process memory segments and impede reliable execution redirection, Enable PIE and full RELRO to hinder function redirection and ROP gadget location, Apply Control Flow Integrity or Shadow Call Stack to protect return addresses against ROP chains, Run SELinux in enforcing mode to confine the picttoppm process and restrict unauthorized actions, Use Landlock filesystem sandboxing to isolate picttoppm and limit accessible paths, and Isolate picttoppm within Linux user, PID, network, and mount namespaces to prevent broader host compromise. These controls limit blast radius and contain exploitation, but they do not fix the underlying stack-based buffer overflow defect — apply the upstream patch to fully remediate.
Highest-impact CME: CME-301 SELinux (Enforcing Mode) (medium)
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
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:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Write operations could cause memory corruption. In some cases, an adversary can modify control data such as return addresses in order to execute unexpected code.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Attempting to access out-of-range, invalid, or unauthorized memory could cause the product to crash.
Other
Technical Impact: Unexpected State
Subsequent write operations can produce undefined or unexpected results.
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