CVE-2026-20911: CVE-2026-20911: Remote Code Execution via Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in LibRaw HuffTable::initval

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CVE-2026-20911: Remote Code Execution via Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in LibRaw HuffTable::initval

Vulnerability ID: CVE-2026-20911
CVSS Score: 9.8
Published: 2026-04-07

A critical heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in LibRaw versions up to 0.22.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code. The flaw exists in the lossless JPEG decompressor, specifically within the Huffman table initialization routine, due to an incorrect calculation of the required buffer size.

TL;DR

LibRaw <= 0.22.0 suffers from a heap buffer overflow in the JPEG DHT parser. Processing a crafted RAW image file leads to arbitrary code execution due to missing bounds checks during Huffman table initialization.

Technical Details

CWE ID: CWE-131
Attack Vector: Network (Malicious File)
CVSS v3.1: 9.8
EPSS Score: 0.00043
Impact: Remote Code Execution
Exploit Status: None (No Public PoC)
CISA KEV: Not Listed

Affected Systems

LibRaw-based image viewers
Digital asset management systems
Web servers generating image thumbnails
RAW photo editing software
LibRaw: <= 0.22.0 (Fixed in: 0.22.1)

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade LibRaw to version 0.22.1 or later
Isolate image processing tasks in sandboxed environments (e.g., Docker, seccomp, AppArmor)
Implement robust file format validation before passing data to the LibRaw engine

Remediation Steps:

Identify all internal services and applications statically or dynamically linking LibRaw.
Update system package managers and pull the latest patched LibRaw dependencies (v0.22.1).
Recompile applications that statically link LibRaw to include the patched losslessjpeg.cpp logic.
Deploy the updated binaries to production environments and restart image processing services.
Verify the remediation by running test suites against malformed RAW images to ensure safe failure.