CVE-2026-44638

LOW

libsixel: NULL pointer dereference

Title source: cna
STIX 2.1

Description

libsixel is a SIXEL encoder/decoder implementation derived from kmiya's sixel. From to 1.8.7-r1, a wrong NULL check after an allocation call in sixel_decode_raw and sixel_decode causes a NULL pointer dereference whenever the allocation fails. The check tests the address of the output parameter (always non-NULL) instead of the value the malloc returned. On allocation failure, the function continues and writes through a NULL pointer, crashing the process. This is a denial of service against any caller of these public APIs that hits a low-memory condition. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.8.7-r2.

References (1)

Core 1
Core References

Scores

CVSS v3 2.5
EPSS 0.0013
EPSS Percentile 2.9%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation poc
Automatable no
Technical Impact partial

Details

CWE
CWE-476 CWE-690
Status published
Products (2)
saitoha/libsixel 1.0.0 - 1.8.7-r2
saitoha/libsixel >= 1.0.0, < 1.8.7-r2
Published May 14, 2026
Tracked Since May 15, 2026