How severe is CVE-2015-0973?

CVE-2015-0973 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2015-0973 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-0973?

CVE-2015-0973 primarily affects Libpng. In total, 32 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-0973?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-0973 published?

CVE-2015-0973 was published on 2015-01-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-0973

CVE-2015-0973 is a high-severity vulnerability in Libpng with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (91st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Libpng
Published: 2015-01-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Buffer overflow in the png_read_IDAT_data function in pngrutil.c in libpng before 1.5.21 and 1.6.x before 1.6.16 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via IDAT data with a large width, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-9495.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-0973?: Buffer overflow in the png_read_IDAT_data function in pngrutil.c in libpng before 1.5.21 and 1.6.x before 1.6.16 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via IDAT data with a large width, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-9495.
How severe is CVE-2015-0973?: CVE-2015-0973 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2015-0973 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-0973?: CVE-2015-0973 primarily affects Libpng. In total, 32 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-0973?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-0973 published?: CVE-2015-0973 was published on 2015-01-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (32)

cpe:2.3:o:oracle:solaris:11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.0:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.1:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.2:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.3:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.4:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.7:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.8:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.9:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.10:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.11:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.12:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.13:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.14:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libpng:libpng:1.6.15:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Libpng

CVE-2017-12652 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): libpng before 1.6.32 does not properly check the length of chunks against the user limit.
CVE-2010-1205 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Buffer overflow in pngpread.c in libpng before 1.2.44 and 1.4.x before 1.4.3, as used in progressive applications,…
CVE-2018-14550 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue has been found in third-party PNM decoding associated with libpng 1.6.35. It is a stack-based buffer overflow…
CVE-2015-8540 — High (CVSS 8.8): Integer underflow in the png_check_keyword function in pngwutil.c in libpng 0.90 through 0.99, 1.0.x before 1.0.66,…
CVE-2014-9495 — High (CVSS 8.8): Heap-based buffer overflow in the png_combine_row function in libpng before 1.5.21 and 1.6.x before 1.6.16, when…
CVE-2011-3045 — High (CVSS 8.8): Integer signedness error in the png_inflate function in pngrutil.c in libpng before 1.4.10beta01, as used in Google…

All CVEs affecting Libpng →

Other CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-105285 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A security vulnerability has been detected in Totolink A3002MU 1.0.0-B20230403.1455. This affects an unknown function…
CVE-2026-104610 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A security vulnerability has been detected in Tenda HG7, HG9 and HG10 300001138_en_xpon. This impacts the function…
CVE-2026-101039 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability was identified in FAST FAC1900R 20190827_2.0.2. Affected by this issue is the function copy_msg_element…
CVE-2026-96257 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A flaw has been found in Fast FAC1203R Gigabit Edition 2.0.4. Affected by this issue is the function copy_msg_element…
CVE-2026-94089 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability was determined in D-Link DIR-868L 2.01b05. This issue affects the function strcpy of the file…
CVE-2026-94003 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability has been found in Comfast CF-N1-S 2.6.0.1. Impacted is the function get_css_path_from_uri of the file…

Browse all CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities →