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CVE-2026-33021

libsixel: Use-after-free in sixel_encoder_encode_bytes()

Published
Last modified
published
Not listed in CISA KEV
Fix
Fixed in 1.8.7-r1
None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
  • Exploitation: poc
  • Automatable: no
  • Technical impact: partial

Summary

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. Versions 1.8.7 and prior contain a use-after-free vulnerability in sixel_encoder_encode_bytes() because sixel_frame_init() stores the caller-owned pixel buffer pointer directly in frame->pixels without making a defensive copy. When a resize operation is triggered, sixel_frame_convert_to_rgb888() unconditionally frees this caller-owned buffer and replaces it with a new internal allocation, leaving the caller with a dangling pointer. Any subsequent access to the original buffer by the caller constitutes a use-after-free, confirmed by AddressSanitizer. An attacker who controls incoming frames can trigger this bug repeatedly and predictably, resulting in a reliable crash with potential for code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.

Timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. CISA SSVC assessment

    Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial

  3. Record last updated

Affected versions

  • saitoha libsixel

    fixed in 1.8.7-r1

References 2

GitHub · saitoha/libsixel