# CVE-2026-88384: Null dereference in n/a

> A crafted EXR file triggers a null pointer dereference in OpenEXR, causing application crashes and denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-88384, ECHO-8ae3-3ca0-52d2, GHSA-3cfr-j9gx-46w4, SUSE-SU-2026:24012-1, SUSE-SU-2026:4532-1, SUSE-SU-2026:4828-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-88384, openSUSE-SU-2026:11934-1, openSUSE-SU-2026:22013-1

## What is CVE-2026-88384?

CVE-2026-88384 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

OpenEXR 3.4.14 contains a NULL Pointer Dereference in the C++ attribute parsing path. A specially crafted EXR file containing an unknown-type attribute with dataSize set to zero causes the parser to create an opaque attribute with a NULL packed_data pointer. The OpaqueAttribute constructor passes the NULL pointer to memcpy() without validating the zero-size condition, resulting in undefined behavior and process termination, leading to denial of service.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-88384?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `openexr` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP7 | All versions | 2.2.1-150000.3.58.1 |
| `openexr` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | All versions | 3.2.2-160000.11.1 |
| `openexr` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | All versions | 2.1.0-6.54.1 |
| `openexr` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | All versions | 3.2.2-160000.11.1 |
| `openexr` | openSUSE:Leap 16.0 | All versions | 3.2.2-160000.11.1 |
| `openexr` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 3.4.15-1.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-88384?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-88384 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-88384 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-88384 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-88384 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-88384 exists.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2026-88384/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-88384/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-88384
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-88384
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-88384

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-88384/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.