CVE-2026-85715 ExifReader: DoS via Crafted HEIC/AVIF iloc Box - Memory Exhaustion
Attackers can cause memory exhaustion and crash applications by providing crafted HEIC or AVIF images to the ExifReader library.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-85715?
CVE-2026-85715 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in mattiasw ExifReader, published on 17 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
ExifReader is a JavaScript Exif information parser. Prior to 4.41.1, ExifReader parses attacker-controlled HEIC or AVIF ISO-BMFF files in getItems() within src/image-header-iso-bmff-iloc.js and trusts iloc itemCount and extentCount values while allocating an extent object for every nested-loop iteration. When offsetSize, lengthSize, baseOffsetSize, and indexSize are zero, the extent fields consume no input bytes and the buffer offset does not advance, but the parser can still allocate up to itemCount multiplied by extentCount objects without an allocation budget. A small malicious iloc box can therefore cause hundreds of megabytes of heap growth or exhaust system memory, terminating a Node.js process and denying service to web, desktop, or mobile applications that parse untrusted images. The zero field widths are valid ISO-BMFF values indicating absent fields, so the vulnerable parser must bound work rather than relying on offset advancement. The issue is fixed in version 4.41.1.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-85715?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including exifreader.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
exifreader npm | All versions | 4.41.1 |
exifreader npm | All versions | 4.41.1 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-85715?
Upgrade exifreader to 4.41.1 or later.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-85715 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-85715 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-pj96-35fp-cfcc.