CVE-2026-59981
HIGHDescription
OpenEXR is the reference implementation and specification for the EXR image file format, widely used in the motion picture industry. In versions through 3.2.10, 3.3.0 through 3.3.12, and 3.4.0 through 3.4.13, the OpenEXRUtil library returns an out-of-bounds pointer from the SampleCountChannel::row() API when a deep image has a non-zero dataWindow origin. The row() accessor is documented as 0-based and computes its address from an internal base that is offset for absolute pixel coordinates, so the two coordinate models conflict whenever dataWindow.min is non-zero. For a deep image whose data window has a large negative vertical origin, row(0) points far outside the allocated sample-count buffer. An application that opens an attacker-controlled deep EXR file and accesses sample counts through row() performs an out-of-bounds read, which can crash the process or, under a controlled heap layout, return adjacent heap memory as sample-count values. This issue is fixed in versions 3.2.11, 3.3.13, and 3.4.14.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 16% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2014-0160 | High | 7.5 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2025-5777 | High | 7.5 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2021-4034 | High | 7.8 | 95% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2020-8794 | Critical | 9.8 | 89% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-49285 | High | 8.6 | 89% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-21769 | High | 7.5 | 89% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-59981?
Upgrade openexr on debian unstable to 3.4.14-0.1 or later.
Is CVE-2026-59981 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-59981 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.25% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 16% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-59981?
CVE-2026-59981 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.1, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2026-59981 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for openexr (Debian). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2026-59981
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2026-59981)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2026-59981"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2026-59981.svg" alt="CVE-2026-59981"></a>Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet
TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-08-28.