CVE-2026-33023
HighCVSS 7.8Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk21th percentile - higher than 21% of all known CVEs
Summary
In libsixel versions 1.8.7 and prior, built with --with-gdk-pixbuf2, a use-after-free vulnerability exists in load_with_gdkpixbuf(). The cleanup path manually frees the sixel_frame_t object without consulting the reference count, leading to a dangling pointer. An attacker can supply a crafted image, potentially causing information disclosure, memory corruption, or code execution.
Risk Assessment
Organizations using applications based on libsixel with gdk-pixbuf2 support are at risk of remote code execution or data leakage via a crafted image.
Recommendation
Update libsixel to version 1.8.7-r1 or later, which contains the fix.
Other vulnerabilities in libsixel
See all- CVE-2026-44637High
The libsixel library has a signed integer overflow in the image-buffer doubling loop of the SIXEL parser, which can lead to an out-of-bounds heap write. This issue affects versions up to 1.8.7-r1 and is fixed in version 1.8.7-r2.
- CVE-2026-44636High
The libsixel library has a heap buffer overflow due to incorrect allocation size calculation in the sixel_encode_highcolor function. This issue affects versions from 1.8.7-r1 to 1.8.7-r2, where the lack of an upper bound for width and height allows for potential memory overwrites.
Original NVD description (English source)
libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. In versions 1.8.7 and prior, when built with the --with-gdk-pixbuf2 option, a use-after-free vulnerability exists in load_with_gdkpixbuf() in loader.c. The cleanup path manually frees the sixel_frame_t object and its internal buffers without consulting the reference count, even though the object was created via the refcounted constructor sixel_frame_new() and exposed to the public callback. A callback that calls sixel_frame_ref(frame) to retain a logically valid reference will hold a dangling pointer after sixel_helper_load_image_file() returns, and any subsequent access to the frame or its fields triggers a use-after-free confirmed by AddressSanitizer. The root cause is a consistency failure between two cleanup strategies in the same codebase: sixel_frame_unref() is used in load_with_builtin() but raw free() is used in load_with_gdkpixbuf(). An attacker supplying a crafted image to any application built against libsixel with gdk-pixbuf2 support can trigger this reliably, potentially leading to information disclosure, memory corruption, or code execution. This issue has been fixed in version 1.8.7-r1.