The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0 Heap Out-of-Bounds Read via HFS+ decmpfs Header
Affects The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0, including the develop-4.1x default branch, when files are examined by istat, icat, or library or ingest reads. No fix is listed in the checked facts.
Written by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 from the sources below. Verify against them.
- Exploited
- Proof of concept public, per CISA
- Fix
- No fix listed
- Who is exposed
- Specific setups only
Do first: Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs. Affects Sleuth Kit 4.15.0 (tested version) and the develop-4.1x default branch The bug is hit when a file is examined, such as during istat, icat, or library or ingest reads
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- Published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Not listed in CISA KEV
- A 0-100 score for how much a CVE matters across the industry: exploitation, exposure, how widely the software is used, severity and whether a fix exists.What do these mean? →
- 30/100 · provisional
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Specific setups only
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
- Exploitation: poc
- Automatable: no
- Technical impact: partial
Summary
The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0 contains a heap out-of-bounds read vulnerability in hfs_load_extended_attrs() in tsk/fs/hfs.c that reads the decmpfs header without checking attribute length. Attackers can supply a crafted HFS+ image with a com.apple.decmpfs attr_size of 1 to 15 to read past the allocation and crash analysis tools like istat or icat.
What to do
Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs.
Affects Sleuth Kit 4.15.0 (tested version) and the develop-4.1x default branch The bug is hit when a file is examined, such as during istat, icat, or library or ingest readsWorkaround: The checked facts list no fix and no workaround. The bug is triggered when a file is examined by istat, icat, or library or ingest reads, so those are the paths that reach it.
Timeline
- CVE published
- First seen by cve.now
- CISA SSVC assessment
Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial
- Record last updated
Affected versions
- The Sleuth Kit The Sleuth Kit
through 4.15.0
Evidence 5
- Report
- Repository
- Repository
- Link
- Link
Corrections
None so far.
Something wrong on this page? Report an error. Every fix is listed here.
Questions about CVE-2026-120453
What does this mean?
The tool reads up to 15 bytes past the end of a heap buffer while parsing the HFS+ decmpfs header of a file. This out-of-bounds read can crash analysis tools.Source: github.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0 is affected, with 4.15.0 as the tested version and the develop-4.1x default branch also named. The bug runs whenever a file is examined, during istat, icat, or any library or ingest read. Compare your installed version against the range through 4.15.0.Source: github.com
What should I do about it?
The checked facts list no fixed release, so no upgrade target can be given. Watch the advisory for a fixed version.Source: github.com
Is it being exploited?
It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. CISA's SSVC assessment notes a proof of concept exists. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data
What if there's no patch?
The checked facts list no fix and no workaround. The bug is triggered when a file is examined by istat, icat, or library or ingest reads, so those are the paths that reach it.Source: github.com