The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0 NULL Pointer Dereference via decmpfs LZVN Decompression
- Exploited
- No known exploitation
- Fix
- No fix listed
- Who is exposed
- Specific setups only
Do first: Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs. The attacker supplies a crafted HFS+ image, which is reachable under the default build. The image contains a com.apple.decmpfs inline attribute of at least 17 bytes with compression_type 7. Affects The Sleuth Kit 4.15.0 and the default develop branch.
- 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- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean?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? →
- 17/100 · 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
Summary
The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0 contains a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in decmpfs_decompress_lzvn_attr() that allows attackers to crash the tool by supplying a crafted HFS+ image. Attackers can set a huge uncompressed_size in an LZVN inline com.apple.decmpfs attribute so allocation fails and the decoder writes through NULL, causing denial of service.
What to do
Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs.
The attacker supplies a crafted HFS+ image, which is reachable under the default build. The image contains a com.apple.decmpfs inline attribute of at least 17 bytes with compression_type 7. Affects The Sleuth Kit 4.15.0 and the default develop branch.Workaround: While no fix is available, avoid running the affected build on HFS+ images from untrusted sources. This limits exposure to the affected feature until a patched release exists.
Timeline
- CVE published
- First seen by cve.now
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-2026-120454
What does this mean?
A crafted disk image can make The Sleuth Kit dereference a NULL pointer while decompressing LZVN-compressed data in an HFS+ decmpfs attribute. The result is a crash, which is a denial of service.Source: github.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
The Sleuth Kit 4.15.0 and earlier releases are listed as affected, as is the default develop branch. The issue needs an HFS+ image with a com.apple.decmpfs inline attribute of at least 17 bytes and compression_type 7. Check the installed version against 4.15.0 and whether the build comes from the develop branch.Source: github.com
What should I do about it?
The checked facts name no fixed release, so no upgrade target can be given. Check the project's advisory for a fixed version before changing builds.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. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data
What if there's no patch?
While no fix is available, avoid running the affected build on HFS+ images from untrusted sources. This limits exposure to the affected feature until a patched release exists.Source: github.com