How severe is CVE-2021-20240?

CVE-2021-20240 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-2021-20240 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-20240?

CVE-2021-20240 primarily affects Gnome Gdk-pixbuf. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-20240?

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-2021-20240 published?

CVE-2021-20240 was published on 2021-05-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-20240

CVE-2021-20240 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnome Gdk-pixbuf 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-191.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 8.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (82nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-191
Affected product: Gnome Gdk-pixbuf
Published: 2021-05-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A flaw was found in gdk-pixbuf in versions before 2.42.0. An integer wraparound leading to an out of bounds write can occur when a crafted GIF image is loaded. An attacker may cause applications to crash or could potentially execute code on the victim system. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-20240?: A flaw was found in gdk-pixbuf in versions before 2.42.0. An integer wraparound leading to an out of bounds write can occur when a crafted GIF image is loaded. An attacker may cause applications to crash or could potentially execute code on the victim system. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.
How severe is CVE-2021-20240?: CVE-2021-20240 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-2021-20240 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-20240?: CVE-2021-20240 primarily affects Gnome Gdk-pixbuf. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-20240?: 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-2021-20240 published?: CVE-2021-20240 was published on 2021-05-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:gnome:gdk-pixbuf:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gnome Gdk-pixbuf

CVE-2011-2897 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): gdk-pixbuf through 2.31.1 has GIF loader buffer overflow when initializing decompression tables due to an input…
CVE-2017-1000422 — High (CVSS 8.8): Gnome gdk-pixbuf 2.36.8 and older is vulnerable to several integer overflow in the gif_get_lzw function resulting in…
CVE-2021-46829 — High (CVSS 7.8): GNOME GdkPixbuf (aka GDK-PixBuf) before 2.42.8 allows a heap-based buffer overflow when compositing or clearing frames…
CVE-2017-12447 — High (CVSS 7.8): GdkPixBuf (aka gdk-pixbuf), possibly 2.32.2, as used by GNOME Nautilus 3.14.3 on Ubuntu 16.04, allows attackers to…
CVE-2017-2870 — High (CVSS 7.8): An exploitable integer overflow vulnerability exists in the tiff_image_parse functionality of Gdk-Pixbuf 2.36.6 when…
CVE-2017-2862 — High (CVSS 7.8): An exploitable heap overflow vulnerability exists in the gdk_pixbuf__jpeg_image_load_increment functionality of…

All CVEs affecting Gnome Gdk-pixbuf →

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