CVE-2026-33636

HIGH

LIBPNG has ARM NEON Palette Expansion Out-of-Bounds Read on AArch64

Title source: cna
STIX 2.1

Description

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. In versions 1.6.36 through 1.6.55, an out-of-bounds read and write exists in libpng's ARM/AArch64 Neon-optimized palette expansion path. When expanding 8-bit paletted rows to RGB or RGBA, the Neon loop processes a final partial chunk without verifying that enough input pixels remain. Because the implementation works backward from the end of the row, the final iteration dereferences pointers before the start of the row buffer (OOB read) and writes expanded pixel data to the same underflowed positions (OOB write). This is reachable via normal decoding of attacker-controlled PNG input if Neon is enabled. Version 1.6.56 fixes the issue.

Scores

CVSS v3 7.6
EPSS 0.0005
EPSS Percentile 16.6%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation none
Automatable no
Technical Impact partial

Details

CWE
CWE-125 CWE-787
Status published
Products (2)
libpng/libpng 1.6.36 - 1.6.56
pnggroup/libpng >= 1.6.36, < 1.6.56
Published Mar 26, 2026
Tracked Since Mar 26, 2026