Sleuthkit: The Sleuth Kit through 4.15.0 contains a heap out-of-bounds read vulnerability in hfs_load_extended_attrs()
Affects sleuthkitSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.8 Medium.
Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 12:37 UTC
Thin evidence
One scorer or none| CNA (VulnCheck) | CVSS 4.0 | 4.8 |
|---|---|---|
| CNA (VulnCheck) | CVSS 3.1 | 3.3 |
| CNA | CVSS 4.0 | 4.8 |
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 2 Nov 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 5 Nov 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.10sleuthkitpkg:deb/ubuntu/sleuthkit?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSsleuthkitpkg:deb/ubuntu/sleuthkit?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSsleuthkitpkg:deb/ubuntu/sleuthkit?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 22.04 LTSsleuthkitpkg:deb/ubuntu/sleuthkit?arch=source&distro=jammyOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 20.04 LTSsleuthkitpkg:deb/ubuntu/sleuthkit?arch=source&distro=focalOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 18.04 LTSsleuthkitpkg:deb/ubuntu/sleuthkit?arch=source&distro=bionicOther 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
Until a fix is available, avoid processing untrusted or suspicious HFS+ images with affected versions of The Sleuth Kit.
Description
The Sleuth Kit through version 4.15.0 has a heap out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the hfs_load_extended_attrs() function. This flaw occurs because the function reads the decmpfs header without verifying the attribute length, allowing crafted HFS+ images with specific attribute sizes to cause out-of-bounds reads. This can lead to crashes in forensic analysis tools such as istat or icat.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-120453 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-120453 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/sleuthkit/sleuthkit/blob/sleuthkit-4.15.0/tsk/fs/hfs.c (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/sleuthkit/sleuthkit/issues/3583 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/sleuthkit/sleuthkit/releases/tag/sleuthkit-4.15.0 (opens in a new tab)
- hackmd.io/@haindpwn/sleuthkit-hfs-decmpfs-attr-oob-read (opens in a new tab)
- vulncheck.com/advisories/the-sleuth-kit-through-4.15.0-heap-out-of-bounds-read-via-hfs-decmpfs-header (opens in a new tab)