LIBPNG is a reference library for use in applications that read, create, and manipulate PNG (Portable Network Graphics) raster image files. In versions 1.2.1 through 1.6.55, `png_set_tRNS` and `png_set_PLTE` each alias a heap-allocated buffer between `png_struct` and `png_info`, sharing a single allocation across two structs with independent lifetimes. The `trans_alpha` aliasing has been present since at least libpng 1.0, and the `palette` aliasing since at least 1.2.1. Both affect all prior release lines `png_set_tRNS` sets `png_ptr->trans_alpha = info_ptr->trans_alpha` (256-byte buffer) and `png_set_PLTE` sets `info_ptr->palette = png_ptr->palette` (768-byte buffer). In both cases, calling `png_free_data` (with `PNG_FREE_TRNS` or `PNG_FREE_PLTE`) frees the buffer through `info_ptr` while the corresponding `png_ptr` pointer remains dangling. Subsequent row-transform functions dereference and, in some code paths, write to the freed memory. A second call to `png_set_tRNS` or `png_set_PLTE` has the same effect, because both functions call `png_free_data` internally before reallocating the `info_ptr` buffer. Version 1.6.56 fixes the issue.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-33416 is rated High Exploit Risk (66.9/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.05%). Core evidence: 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). EPSS rose +1.03% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
| EDB-ID | Source | Kind | Published | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | nvd_ref | exploit_tag | Exploit-DB ↗ |
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 0.02% | 1.05% | +1.03% |
| 2 | 2026-05-22 | 0.06% | 0.02% | -0.03% |
| 3 | 2026-05-07 | — | 0.06% | — |
Full EPSS history (6 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 3.1 | HIGH |
|
1.6 | 5.9 | [email protected] |
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
alpine
|
— | CVE-2026-33416: 1 source package rows (libpng); 38 state rows across 6 repos (3.19-main, 3.20-main, 3.21-main, 3.22-main, 3.23-main, edge-main); fixed 5, open 33. | https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2026-33416 |
debian
|
not yet assigned | CVE-2026-33416 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (libpng1.6), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. | https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-33416 |
redhat
|
medium | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33416 |
suse
|
high | — | https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33416/ |
ubuntu
|
medium | CVE-2026-33416 medium priority: Ubuntu including 5 source packages (chromium-browser, firefox, libpng, libpng1.6, thunderbird), 30 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, resolute, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 13, needs-triage 8, released 5, DNE 4. | https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-33416 |