CVE-2026-53532: CWE-617: Reachable Assertion in AcademySoftwareFoundation openexr
Description
A reachable assertion vulnerability in AcademySoftwareFoundation's openexr versions 3.4.0 through 3.4.12 allows a crafted HTJ2K-compressed EXR file to cause an unconditional process abort when exr_start_read() is called on untrusted input. This results in a denial of service. The issue arises from an assertion failure in the OpenJPH library triggered by a QCD marker with invalid bits. The vulnerability is fixed in version 3.4.13.
CVSS v4.0
Score 7.1high
Affected software
AcademySoftwareFoundation
openexr
pkg:github/academysoftwarefoundation/openexrRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
OpenEXR, used for the EXR image format, contains a reachable assertion vulnerability (CWE-617) in versions 3.4.0 through 3.4.12. When processing a crafted HTJ2K-compressed EXR file, specifically one with a QCD marker whose lower five bits are zero, the OpenJPH library asserts and calls abort(), causing an unconditional process termination. This occurs because OpenEXR only wraps its internal HT header parser in error handling, leaving later codestream read and construction calls unprotected. This vulnerability leads to denial of service by crashing any application invoking exr_start_read() on such crafted input. The issue is resolved in version 3.4.13.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause a denial of service by supplying a specially crafted EXR file that triggers an assertion failure in the OpenJPH library used by OpenEXR. This results in an unconditional process abort, crashing any application that calls exr_start_read() on the malicious input. There is no indication of code execution or data corruption beyond denial of service.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to OpenEXR version 3.4.13 or later, where this assertion failure vulnerability has been fixed. Until then, avoid processing untrusted HTJ2K-compressed EXR files or implement additional input validation and sandboxing to mitigate the risk of process aborts.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-06-09T17:30:33.457Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a8cc7b1acd9273b49388883
Added to database: 08/24/2026, 22:37:37 UTC
Last enriched: 09/10/2026, 08:07:28 UTC
Last updated: 10/07/2026, 06:48:17 UTC
Views: 79
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