High severity · published Jul 24, 2026
CVE-2026-66040
FFmpeg Heap Out-of-Bounds Write via PNG/APNG eXIf Encoder
8.8
CVSS
0.8%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
FFmpeg through 8.1.2, fixed in commit b506faf, contains a heap out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the native PNG and APNG encoders that allows remote attackers to corrupt heap memory by supplying a crafted PNG image with a malicious eXIf chunk. Attackers can craft an eXIf chunk where multiple IFD entries reference the same large value payload, causing canonical serialization to expand the output far beyond the undersized allocation estimated by add_exif_profile_size(), resulting in png_write_chunk() writing tens of thousands of bytes past the buffer boundary, leading to deterministic heap corruption, process crash, and potentially arbitrary code execution.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.8% · higher than 56% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
FF
FFmpeg · FFmpeg
through 8.1.2 · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66040
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-66040
Patch
https://code.ffmpeg.org/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/b506fafec9a19fcbc2be5271875fd4a63d6615bc
Issue Tracking
https://code.ffmpeg.org/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/pulls/23786
Third Party Advisory
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ffmpeg-heap-out-of-bounds-write-via-png-apng-exif-encoder
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