# CVE-2026-32836: mackron / dr_libs dr_flac.h Excessive Memory Allocation in PICTURE Metadata Parsing

> Attackers can cause denial of service via memory exhaustion by supplying crafted FLAC PICTURE metadata blocks to applications using the dr_libs library.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **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:** 17 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-32836, GHSA-6mgc-4427-8p4x, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-32836

## What is CVE-2026-32836?

CVE-2026-32836 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in mackron dr_libs dr_flac.h, published on 17 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

dr_libs dr_flac.h version 0.13.3 and earlier (fixed in commits fefced4, 4f5a4cd, and 663239a) contain an uncontrolled memory allocation vulnerability in drflac__read_and_decode_metadata() that allows attackers to trigger excessive memory allocation by supplying crafted PICTURE metadata blocks. Attackers can exploit attacker-controlled mimeLength and descriptionLength fields to cause denial of service through memory exhaustion when processing FLAC streams with metadata callbacks.

Weakness: CWE-789 (Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-32836?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mackron Dr Libs.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-32836?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-32836 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-32836 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in mackron dr_libs dr_flac.h

- [CVE-2026-29022](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-29022/): mackron / dr_libs dr_wav.h Heap Buffer Overflow via WAV File (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-32836 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-32836 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in mackron dr_libs dr_flac.h, published on 17 Mar 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-2026-32836 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: mackron dr_libs dr_flac.h. 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-2026-32836/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32836/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-32836
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32836
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32836

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32836/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.