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NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

CVE-2020-23109: Buffer overflow vulnerability in function convert_colorspace in heif_colorconversion.cc in libheif v1.6.2, allows attackers to cause a…

HighCVSS 8.1 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 32/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.3% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 71.7% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: libheif (Debian:12) 1.8.0-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to libheif (Debian:12) 1.8.0-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Buffer overflow vulnerability in function convert_colorspace in heif_colorconversion.cc in libheif v1.6.2, allows attackers to cause a denial of service and disclose sensitive information, via a crafted HEIF file.

Published
Nov 3, 2021
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
1.3% · 71th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

32

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
32 / 40 · 8.1 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 1.3%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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Follow CVE-2020-23109

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
strukturlibheif

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • struktur libheif1.6.2

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12libheifbefore 1.8.0-11.8.0-1

Same product

struktur: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-11471libheif 1.4.0 has a use-after-free in heif::HeifContext::Image::set_alpha_channel in heif_context.h because heif_context.cc mishandles…
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-32740libheif: Heap-Buffer-Overflow Write in Grid Tile Chroma Compositing
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2023-49464libheif v1.17.5 was discovered to contain a segmentation violation via the function UncompressedImageCodec::get_luma_bits_per_pixel_from_con…
    35Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-19498Jul 21, 2021 · Floating point exception in function Fraction in libheif 1.4.0, allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service or possibly other unspecified…
    35Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-19499Jul 21, 2021 · An issue was discovered in heif::Box_iref::get_references in libheif 1.4.0, allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service or possibly other…
    35Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-0996Feb 24, 2023 · There is a vulnerability in the strided image data parsing code in the emscripten wrapper for libheif.
    31Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:libheif1.8.0-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-120 · Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

When data is copied, the source length is not compared with the size of the destination buffer. Excess data overwrites adjacent memory.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-120 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

c
char buf[256];memcpy(buf, pkt->data, pkt->len);

Fixed

c
char buf[256];if (pkt->len > sizeof(buf)) {  return -EINVAL;}memcpy(buf, pkt->data, pkt->len);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

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