CVE-2023-45666
Possible double-free or memory leak in stbi__load_gif_main in stb_image
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
Description
stb_image is a single file MIT licensed library for processing images. It may look like `stbi__load_gif_main` doesn’t give guarantees about the content of output value `*delays` upon failure. Although it sets `*delays` to zero at the beginning, it doesn’t do it in case the image is not recognized as GIF and a call to `stbi__load_gif_main_outofmem` only frees possibly allocated memory in `*delays` without resetting it to zero. Thus it would be fair to say the caller of `stbi__load_gif_main` is responsible to free the allocated memory in `*delays` only if `stbi__load_gif_main` returns a non null value. However at the same time the function may return null value, but fail to free the memory in `*delays` if internally `stbi__convert_format` is called and fails. Thus the issue may lead to a memory leak if the caller chooses to free `delays` only when `stbi__load_gif_main` didn’t fail or to a double-free if the `delays` is always freed
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: a proof of concept is public.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 10 days later
· 10 days later
Published
- 16 months later
· 16 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.3 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.1% · top 35% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: poc · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: partial
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.3.
Weakness
Affected products
References (6)
- https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2023-145_GHSL-2023-151_stb_image_h/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9/stb_image.h#L6957 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9/stb_image.h#L6962-L7045 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/UVQ7ONFH5GWLMXYEAJG32A3EUKUCEVCR/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/QVABVF4GEM6BYD5L4L64RCRSXUHY6LGN/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/NMXKOKPP4BKTNUTF5KSRDQAWOUILQZNO/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2023-45666)Record last updated .