How severe is CVE-2022-27938?

CVE-2022-27938 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2022-27938 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (45th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-27938?

CVE-2022-27938 primarily affects Libsixel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2022-27938?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2022-27938 published?

CVE-2022-27938 was published on 2022-03-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2022-27938

CVE-2022-27938 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Libsixel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-617.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (45th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-617
Affected product: Libsixel
Published: 2022-03-26
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

stb_image.h (aka the stb image loader) 2.19, as used in libsixel and other products, has a reachable assertion in stbi__create_png_image_raw.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-27938?: stb_image.h (aka the stb image loader) 2.19, as used in libsixel and other products, has a reachable assertion in stbi__create_png_image_raw.
How severe is CVE-2022-27938?: CVE-2022-27938 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-27938 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (45th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-27938?: CVE-2022-27938 primarily affects Libsixel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-27938?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2022-27938 published?: CVE-2022-27938 was published on 2022-03-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/saitoha/libsixel/issues/163

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:libsixel:libsixel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:saitoha:libsixel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Libsixel

CVE-2021-40656 — High (CVSS 8.8): libsixel before 1.10 is vulnerable to Buffer Overflow in libsixel/src/quant.c:867.
CVE-2021-41715 — High (CVSS 8.8): libsixel 1.10.0 is vulnerable to Use after free in libsixel/src/dither.c:379.
CVE-2021-45340 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): In Libsixel prior to and including v1.10.3, a NULL pointer dereference in the stb_image.h component of libsixel allows…

All CVEs affecting Libsixel →

Other CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion) vulnerabilities

CVE-2020-3615 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Valid deauth/disassoc frames is dropped in case if RMF is enabled and some rouge peer keep on sending rogue…
CVE-2019-9795 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A vulnerability where type-confusion in the IonMonkey just-in-time (JIT) compiler could potentially be used by…
CVE-2026-31739 — High (CVSS 8.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: tegra - Add missing CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC The…
CVE-2020-12417 — High (CVSS 8.8): Due to confusion about ValueTags on JavaScript Objects, an object may pass through the type barrier, resulting in…
CVE-2020-6623 — High (CVSS 8.8): stb stb_truetype.h through 1.22 has an assertion failure in stbtt__cff_get_index.
CVE-2020-6619 — High (CVSS 8.8): stb stb_truetype.h through 1.22 has an assertion failure in stbtt__buf_seek.

Browse all CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion) vulnerabilities →