Uncontrolled Recursion in libheif - #VU147373
Published: September 8, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU147373
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4: 8.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: N/A
CWE-ID: CWE-674
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to uncontrolled recursion in HeifFile::check_for_ref_cycle_recursion when parsing a crafted HEIF or AVIF file. A remote attacker can provide a file containing a long chain of image references to cause a denial of service.
The flaw is triggered during parsing before image decoding.
Affected software
libheif
Remediation
Install security update from vendor's website.
libheif - update to 1.23.4