Vulnerability in exifreader (CVE-2026-85715)
Summary
Vulnerability in exifreader (CVE-2026-85715). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. Exploitable via iloc. Mitigation: upgrade to 4.41.1 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
Summary
ExifReader 4.41.0 is vulnerable to denial of service through a crafted HEIC or AVIF file with a malicious iloc box. When offsetSize, lengthSize, and baseOffsetSize are set to zero in the iloc header, the extent-parsing loop allocates an unbounded number of JavaScript objects - up to itemCount × extentCount (65535 × 65535 = 4.3 billion) - without advancing the buffer offset. A 652-byte file causes 400MB of heap growth; a 6KB file exhausts all system memory and crashes the Node.js process with a JavaScript heap out-of-memory error.
Affected version tested
- npm package:
exifreader - Version:
4.41.0 - Affected formats: HEIC, AVIF (ISO-BMFF container)
Root cause
File: src/image-header-iso-bmff-iloc.js, lines 79–116, function getItems().
The iloc parser reads four size fields from the file (each a 4-bit nibble, valid values 0–15):
| Field | Controls |
|---|---|
offsetSize |
Bytes per extent offset |
lengthSize |
Bytes per extent length |
baseOffsetSize |
Bytes per item base offset |
indexSize |
Bytes per extent index |
The code then enters a nested loop: for each item (up to 65535), and for each extent within that item (up to 65535), it reads variable-width fields and advances the buffer offset by the corresponding size:
for (let j = 0; j < item.extentCount; j++) {
const extent = {};
extent.extentIndex = getExtentIndex(dataView, version, offset, indexSize);
offset += sizes.item.exte…
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-85715 has been found in exifreader.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like iloc over the network to misuse the product.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. CVSS score: 7.5/10.
What to do: upgrade exifreader to 4.41.1 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "exifreader CVE-2026-85715" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-85715 (exifreader) — CWE-789 / CVSS v3 7.5
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: iloc / offsetSize / lengthSize / baseOffsetSize
Patched: 4.41.1 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-789) exists in exifreader. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via iloc without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of exifreader. Attack surface: iloc / offsetSize / lengthSize / baseOffsetSize.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5/10). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Update to 4.41.1.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'exifreader' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'exifreader' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
exifreaderを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Apply patch patch
Upgrade exifreader to 4.41.1ステージング環境で 4.41.1 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスを含めること。
-
3Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
References
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com