Use After Free Affecting libpng package, versions <1.6.56-r0


Severity

Recommended
low

Based on default assessment until relevant scores are available.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.04% (13th percentile)

Do your applications use this vulnerable package?

In a few clicks we can analyze your entire application and see what components are vulnerable in your application, and suggest you quick fixes.

Test your applications

Snyk Learn

Learn about Use After Free vulnerabilities in an interactive lesson.

Start learning
  • Snyk IDSNYK-ALPINE321-LIBPNG-15805102
  • published29 Mar 2026
  • disclosed26 Mar 2026

Introduced: 26 Mar 2026

NewCVE-2026-33416  (opens in a new tab)
CWE-416  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

Upgrade Alpine:3.21 libpng to version 1.6.56-r0 or higher.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream libpng package and not the libpng package as distributed by Alpine. See How to fix? for Alpine:3.21 relevant fixed versions and status.

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-&gt;trans_alpha = info_ptr-&gt;trans_alpha (256-byte buffer) and png_set_PLTE sets info_ptr-&gt;palette = png_ptr-&gt;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.

CVSS Base Scores

version 3.1