CVE-2026-68513 — OpenEXR: Heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR from literal/prefixed RGB channel name collision
OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image format, widely used in the motion picture industry. Versions 3.3.0 through 3.3.12 and 3.4.0 through 3.4.13 contain a heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR triggered by a channel-name key collision between literal and prefixed RGB channels. When separate_channels=false, PyOpenEXR maps each physical channel name through channelNameToRGBA() and coalesces the results into a shared RGB array. A crafted flat scanline EXR that contains both a literal channel such as left and prefixed channels such as left.R, left.G, and left.B causes these names to collide, so the wrapper reuses an undersized two-dimensional NumPy array for the coalesced RGB slices and writes out of bounds when OpenEXR.File(path) decodes the pixels. This issue is fixed in versions 3.3.13 and 3.4.14.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (high)+6
- CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (AcademySoftwareFoundation Openexr).
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AcademySoftwareFoundation | Openexr | version >= 3.3.0, < 3.3.13version >= 3.4.0, < 3.4.14 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 1.8 | 5.2 | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: security-advisories@github.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · academysoftwarefoundation/openexr
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.1
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-68515 OpenEXR: Heap out-of-bounds write in exrmultiview with subsampled channel union Aug 25, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-68514 OpenEXR: Heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR from literal/prefixed RGB channel name collision in deep images Aug 25, 2026
- High CVE-2026-59981 OpenEXR: Heap OOB read in SampleCountChannel row when using nonzero dataWindow Aug 25, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-65979 OpenEXR: Out-of-bounds read in HTJ2K decoder from unvalidated chunk header length (PLEN) Aug 25, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-62986 OpenEXR: PyOpenEXR deep prefixed RGB stale lane disclosure Aug 25, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-61555 OpenEXR: Empty multiView viewFromChannelName file crash Aug 25, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-68513 is "OpenEXR: Heap buffer overflow in PyOpenEXR from literal/prefixed RGB channel name collision", rated High. It affects Openexr (AcademySoftwareFoundation); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.1 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
Comments
Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.
No comments yet.
Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.