Exiv2 allows Use After Free
Impact
A heap buffer overflow was found in Exiv2 versions v0.28.0 to v0.28.4. Versions prior to v0.28.0, such as v0.27.7, are not affected. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The heap overflow is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to gain code execution, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file.
Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as fixiso.
Patches
The bug is fixed in version v0.28.5.
References
Issue: https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/issues/3168 Fix: https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/3174
For more information
Please see our security policy for information about Exiv2 security.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | exiv2 | >= 0.28.0, < 0.28.5 | 0.28.5 |
References
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/security/advisories/GHSA-38h4-fx85-qcx7
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-26623
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/issues/3168
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/3174
- https://github.com/jim-easterbrook/python-exiv2/commit/4cc875e392f9e0bc705fe03d929b9a382b78dae4
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2
- https://pypi.org/project/exiv2
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-38h4-fx85-qcx7
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-416- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
exiv2- Disclosed
- 21.02.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-1353 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-38h4-fx85-qcx7 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: exiv2
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 15
- First → latest
- 05.2017 08.2025
- Without a fix
- 12
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 3
- Medium 10
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2017: 1
- 2018: 4
- 2019: 1
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 2
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 2
- 2024: 2
- 2025: 3
- 2026: 0
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