# CVE-2026-22801: LIBPNG has an integer truncation causing heap buffer over-read in png_image_write_*

> An integer truncation in libpng's simplified write API allows heap buffer over-reads when processing images with specific negative or large row strides.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Jan 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2026-22801, AZL-74264, AZL-74283, AZL-74499, AZL-74502, AZL-74505, AZL-74508, BELL-CVE-2026-22801, CLEANSTART-2026-CB66472, CLSA-2026-1771001650, CLSA-2026-1771002358, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-22801, ECHO-ce32-3079-d836, GHSA-vgjq-8cw5-ggw8, JLSEC-2026-8, MINI-gfw4-x64m-5hmp, ROOT-OS-ALPINE-315-CVE-2026-22801, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-22801

## What is CVE-2026-22801?

CVE-2026-22801 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Libpng Libpng, published on 12 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. From 1.6.26 to 1.6.53, there is an integer truncation in the libpng simplified write API functions png_write_image_16bit and png_write_image_8bit causes heap buffer over-read when the caller provides a negative row stride (for bottom-up image layouts) or a stride exceeding 65535 bytes. The bug was introduced in libpng 1.6.26 (October 2016) by casts added to silence compiler warnings on 16-bit systems. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.6.54.

Weakness: CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound), CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-22801?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Libpng Libpng.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-22801?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-22801 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-22801 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Libpng Libpng

- [CVE-2017-12652](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12652/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-14550](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14550/): Out-of-bounds write in libpng (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-25646](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25646/): LIBPNG has a heap buffer overflow in png_set_quantize (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2026-33636](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33636/): LIBPNG has ARM NEON Palette Expansion Out-of-Bounds Read on AArch64 (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2026-33416](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33416/): LIBPNG has use-after-free via pointer aliasing in `png_set_tRNS` and `png_set_PLTE` (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-22801 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-22801 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Libpng Libpng, published on 12 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-22801 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Libpng Libpng. 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-2026-22801/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-22801/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-22801
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22801
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-22801

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-22801/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.