Summary
Exiv2 Segmentation Faults in Exiv2::EpsImage::writeMetadata() via crafted EPS file
Credit
Thank you to @dragonArthurX for reporting this issue.
Details (from original report by @dragonArthurX )
Version:
Tested on v0.28.5 (latest official release)
Commit: 907169fa643c2c74c14fd4106e55eaeee3634d9f
Platform:
Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS (x86_64)
Build Steps:
git clone https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2.git
cd exiv2
git checkout v0.28.5
mkdir build-v0.28.5 && cd build-v0.28.5
cmake -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=/fuzzer/afl-clang-fast -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=/fuzzer/afl-clang-fast++ -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-g -fsanitize=address" -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="-g -fsanitize=address" -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF ../
Command line to reproduce:
/home/exiv2/build/bin/exiv2 -d a -f /home/poc
Crash Output:
AddressSanitizer:DEADLYSIGNAL
================================================================ =
==376531==ERROR: AddressSanitizer: SEGV on unknown address 0x7fd92236b0e7 (pc 0x7fd82314dcd2 bp 0x7ffd540ceba0 sp 0x7ffd540ce358 T0)
==376531==The signal is caused by a READ memory access.
#0 0x7fd82314dcd2 /build/glibc-B3wQXB/glibc-2.31/string/../sysdeps/x86_64/multiarch/memmove-vec-unaligned-erms.S:383
#1 0x4ed131 in __asan_memcpy (/home/exiv2/build-v0.28.5/bin/exiv2+0x4ed131)
#2 0x6184b1 in Exiv2::MemIo::write(unsigned char const*, unsigned long) /home/exiv2/src/basicio.cpp:704:5
#3 0xad336d in (anonymous namespace)::writeTemp(Exiv2::BasicIo&, unsigned char const*, unsigned long) /home/exiv2/src/epsimage.cpp:90:14
#4 0xac3a07 in (anonymous namespace)::readWriteEpsMetadata(Exiv2::BasicIo&, std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >&, std::vector<Exiv2::NativePreview, std::allocator<Exiv2::NativePreview> >&, bool) /home/exiv2/src/epsimage.cpp:1009:7
#5 0xad1175 in Exiv2::EpsImage::writeMetadata() /home/exiv2/src/epsimage.cpp:1103:3
#6 0x5d2383 in Action::Erase::run(std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > const&) /home/exiv2/app/actions.cpp:713:14
#7 0x522d02 in main /home/exiv2/app/exiv2.cpp:177:25
#8 0x7fd8230b6082 in __libc_start_main /build/glibc-B3wQXB/glibc-2.31/csu/../csu/libc-start.c:308:16
#9 0x4714dd in _start (/home/exiv2/build-v0.28.5/bin/exiv2+0x4714dd)
AddressSanitizer can not provide additional info.
SUMMARY: AddressSanitizer: SEGV /build/glibc-B3wQXB/glibc-2.31/string/../sysdeps/x86_64/multiarch/memmove-vec-unaligned-erms.S:383
==376531==ABORTING
Impact
An out-of-bounds read was found in Exiv2 versions v0.28.5 and earlier. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The out-of-bounds read is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to cause a denial of service by crashing Exiv2, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file.
Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as delete.
A read operation accesses a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary. Typical impact: sensitive data disclosure or crash.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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The bug is fixed in version v0.28.6.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-54080? CVE-2025-54080 is a low-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Exiv2 (pip), affecting versions <= 0.17.3. No fixed version is listed yet. A read operation accesses a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary.
- Which versions of Exiv2 are affected by CVE-2025-54080? Exiv2 (pip) versions <= 0.17.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-54080? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-54080 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-54080 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-54080 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-2025-54080 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-2025-54080? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Keep the dependency up to date. In native-code projects, use bounds-checked APIs and run with address sanitizers.