What is CVE-2019-16138?

CVE-2019-16138 is a critical-severity use after free vulnerability in image (rust), affecting versions >= 0.10.2, < 0.21.3. It is fixed in 0.21.3. Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code.

How severe is CVE-2019-16138?

CVE-2019-16138 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of image are affected by CVE-2019-16138?

image (rust) versions >= 0.10.2, < 0.21.3 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2019-16138?

Yes. CVE-2019-16138 is fixed in 0.21.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2019-16138 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2019-16138 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2019-16138 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2019-16138 in image

Q: How severe is CVE-2019-16138?

CVE-2019-16138 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of image are affected by CVE-2019-16138?

image (rust) versions >= 0.10.2, < 0.21.3 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2019-16138?

Yes. CVE-2019-16138 is fixed in 0.21.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2019-16138 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2019-16138 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2019-16138 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2019-16138?

Upgrade image to 0.21.3 or later.

Summary

Use after free in image

Affected versions of this crate would call Vec::set_len on an uninitialized vector with user-provided type parameter, in an interface of the HDR image format decoder. They would then also call other code that could panic before initializing all instances.

This could run Drop implementations on uninitialized types, equivalent to use-after-free, and allow an attacker arbitrary code execution.

Two different fixes were applied. It is possible to conserve the interface by ensuring proper initialization before calling Vec::set_len. Drop is no longer called in case of panic, though.

Starting from version 0.22, a breaking change to the interface requires callers to pre-allocate the output buffer and pass a mutable slice instead, avoiding all unsafe code.

Impact

Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code. Typical impact: memory corruption, crash, or potential code execution.

CVE-2019-16138 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.21.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

image (>= 0.10.2, < 0.21.3)

Security releases

image → 0.21.3 (rust)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade image to 0.21.3 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-16138? CVE-2019-16138 is a critical-severity use after free vulnerability in image (rust), affecting versions >= 0.10.2, < 0.21.3. It is fixed in 0.21.3. Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code.
How severe is CVE-2019-16138? CVE-2019-16138 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of image are affected by CVE-2019-16138? image (rust) versions >= 0.10.2, < 0.21.3 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2019-16138? Yes. CVE-2019-16138 is fixed in 0.21.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2019-16138 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2019-16138 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2019-16138 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2019-16138? Upgrade image to 0.21.3 or later.

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