Upstream information
Description
libheif is a HEIF and AVIF file format decoder and encoder. In versions 1.21.2 and prior, when decoding a HEIF grid image with strict_decoding=false (the default), a corrupted tile silently fails to decode and the library returns heif_error_Ok with no indication of failure, leading to an uninitialized heap memory information leak. The canvas is allocated via create_clone_image_at_new_size() -> plane.alloc() -> new (std::nothrow) uint8_t[allocation_size] which does not zero the memory; only the alpha plane is explicitly initialized via fill_plane(), so the Y, Cb, and Cr planes contain whatever was previously at that heap address. The failed tile's region of the canvas is never written. It retains uninitialized heap data that is delivered to the caller as decoded pixel values (4,096 bytes per Y/Cb/Cr plane = 12,288+ bytes total). Any application using libheif to decode grid-based HEIF/AVIF files with default settings is vulnerable: a crafted .heic or .avif file causes 4,096+ bytes of heap memory to appear as pixel values in the decoded image, and the calling application receives heif_error_Ok, so it has no indication the output contains heap garbage. In server-side image processing, an uploaded crafted HEIF decoded and re-encoded (e.g., as PNG/JPEG for thumbnails, CDN, social media) can leak cross-user data such as auth tokens, database results, and other users' image data. This issue has been fixed in version 1.22.0.SUSE information
Overall state of this security issue: Pending
This issue is currently rated as having moderate severity.
| CVSS detail | CNA (GitHub) | SUSE |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
| Attack Vector | Network | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | None |
| User Interaction | Required | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality Impact | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | None |
| Availability Impact | None | None |
| CVSSv3 Version | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| CVSS detail | SUSE |
|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.7 |
| Vector | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| Attack Vector | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High |
| Attack Requirements | Present |
| Privileges Required | Low |
| User Interaction | None |
| Vulnerable System Confidentiality Impact | High |
| Vulnerable System Integrity Impact | None |
| Vulnerable System Availability Impact | None |
| Subsequent System Confidentiality Impact | None |
| Subsequent System Integrity Impact | None |
| Subsequent System Availability Impact | None |
| CVSSv4 Version | 4.0 |
Status of this issue by product and package
Please note that this evaluation state might be work in progress, incomplete or outdated. Also information for service packs in the LTSS phase is only included for issues meeting the LTSS criteria. If in doubt, feel free to contact us for clarification. The updates are grouped by state of their lifecycle. SUSE product lifecycles are documented on the lifecycle page.
| Product(s) | Source package | State |
|---|---|---|
| Products under general support and receiving all security fixes. | ||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP7 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | libheif | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | libheif | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | libheif | Affected |
| Products under Long Term Service Pack support and receiving important and critical security fixes. | ||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP4 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP5 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP6 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | libheif | Not affected |
| Products past their end of life and not receiving proactive updates anymore. | ||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP5 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | libheif | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | libheif | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | libheif | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | libheif | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | libheif | Not affected |
SUSE Timeline for this CVE
CVE page created: Wed May 20 00:05:17 2026CVE page last modified: Fri May 22 19:26:13 2026