CVE-2023-47997: FreeImage · Infinite Loop
Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 9 Jan 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
GitHubthelastede/FreeImagepkg:github/thelastede/FreeImageOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
- Monitor official FreeImage project channels for patches or updates addressing CVE-2023-47997 and apply them promptly once available.
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all image files processed by applications using FreeImage, rejecting or sandboxing untrusted or suspicious images.
- Employ application-level timeouts or watchdog mechanisms to detect and recover from infinite loops or hangs caused by malformed images.
- Educate users about the risks of opening images from untrusted sources to reduce the likelihood of triggering the vulnerability via social engineering.
- Where feasible, consider upgrading to alternative, actively maintained image processing libraries that do not exhibit this vulnerability.
- Use network-level protections such as web application firewalls (WAFs) to filter malicious payloads targeting image processing endpoints.
- Conduct regular security assessments and fuzz testing on image handling components to identify similar logic flaws proactively.
Description
An issue discovered in BitmapAccess.cpp::FreeImage_AllocateBitmap in FreeImage 3.18.0 leads to an infinite loop and allows attackers to cause a denial of service.
References
- github.com/thelastede/FreeImage-cve-poc/tree/master/CVE-2023-47997 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VLDUDJOWZAKBQMQ7XYNJTRCFPOB56BOE/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K3ZNVRL5PCTMMA3ZBDKH5WH4RT4ST3HW/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EDK7DSADYUHJFNVSRGJHEFJGMWRGGDLM/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EDK7DSADYUHJFNVSRGJHEFJGMWRGGDLM/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K3ZNVRL5PCTMMA3ZBDKH5WH4RT4ST3HW/ (opens in a new tab)