Threats affecting pkg:npm/exifreader

ExifReader is a JavaScript Exif information parser. Prior to 4.41.1, ExifReader parses attacker-controlled HEIC or AVIF ISO-BMFF files in getItems() within src/image-header-iso-bmff-iloc.js and trusts iloc itemCount and extentCount values while allocating an extent object for every nested-loop iteration. When offsetSize, lengthSize, baseOffsetSize, and indexSize are zero, the extent fields consume no input bytes and the buffer offset does not advance, but the parser can still allocate up to itemCount multiplied by extentCount objects without an allocation budget. A small malicious iloc box can therefore cause hundreds of megabytes of heap growth or exhaust system memory, terminating a Node.js process and denying service to web, desktop, or mobile applications that parse untrusted images. The zero field widths are valid ISO-BMFF values indicating absent fields, so the vulnerable parser must bound work rather than relying on offset advancement. The issue is fixed in version 4.41.1.

CVE-2026-8814 affects versions of the exifreader package prior to 4.39.0. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of highly compressed PNG zTXt metadata, where the decompression process does not enforce a maximum decompressed output size. This can lead to data amplification, causing the library to consume excessive memory when parsing crafted PNG files asynchronously. The issue is classified under CWE-409 and has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 6.9, indicating medium severity. There is no official patch or remediation guidance currently available from the vendor. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and the vulnerability does not affect cloud services specifically.

This affects versions of the package exifreader before 4.39.0. A crafted image containing an ICC mluc tag can set an attacker-controlled record count together with a zero record size. During parsing, ExifReader repeatedly processes the same record and appends entries to an array without sufficient bounds validation, causing excessive memory growth. In applications that parse attacker-supplied images, this may lead to denial of service through memory exhaustion.