# CVE-2026-16768: Gdk-pixbuf: out-of-bounds read in ico parser

> An attacker can extract heap memory content by crafting a malicious ICO file that triggers an out-of-bounds read in the gdk-pixbuf library.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 23 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 31 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-93330, BELL-CVE-2026-16768, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16768, ECHO-061d-26c1-7775, GHSA-744w-9fjj-p376, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-16768

## What is CVE-2026-16768?

CVE-2026-16768 is a medium-severity vulnerability in GNOME Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 23 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in gdk-pixbuf. When parsing a specially crafted ICO file with pixel values that exceed the defined palette range, an out-of-bounds read can occur due to improper bounds checking against the actual palette size. This vulnerability causes heap bytes to be interpreted as valid palette indices and rendered as RGB pixel values in the output image, allowing an attacker to extract heap content via the generated output, such as a thumbnail.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16768?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16768?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-16768 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-16768 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16768 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16768 is a medium-severity vulnerability in GNOME Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 23 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-16768 exists.

Affected product: GNOME Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16768/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16768/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16768
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16768
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16768

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16768/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.