Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2026-116159

Low · 3.3

CVSS

3.3

EPSS

0.1%

Published

Oct 25, 2026

CISA due date

—

Cloudanix analysis

Schedule a fix SSVC: Track

Image handling software can slowly use up all available memory when working with certain color settings, eventually making programs or systems stop responding.

Exploitation
Requires User Interaction
Attacker needs
User Interaction
Complexity
Low
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
Library
Class
Memory Corruption
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

Memory leak in handling of the -cdl (color decision list) option where allocated memory is not freed after use, allowing repeated processing to exhaust available memory and degrade availability.

Why it matters to the business

Image processing services or applications may experience gradual slowdowns or crashes due to resource exhaustion when handling inputs that trigger the affected option, increasing operational costs and reducing reliability in workflows dependent on image manipulation.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker supplies input that invokes the -cdl option during image processing; each invocation allocates memory without cleanup, and repeated triggers accumulate leaks until memory resources are depleted and availability is lost.

How to fix it

Upgrade ImageMagick to version 6.9.13-58 or later for the 6.x branch, or 7.1.2-33 or later for the 7.x branch; disable or restrict the -cdl option where feasible until patches are applied.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify installed ImageMagick version meets or exceeds the fixed releases; execute test commands using the -cdl option and monitor memory usage to confirm no ongoing leaks occur.

Typical attack path

  1. Identify a target that processes images using ImageMagick with the -cdl option enabled
  2. Craft and submit input that triggers -cdl handling
  3. Repeat the triggering operation multiple times to accelerate memory consumption
  4. Observe system degradation or failure due to resource exhaustion

How to detect it

Review process execution logs and command histories for repeated ImageMagick invocations containing the -cdl flag; correlate with system metrics showing sustained memory growth without corresponding workload increases.

  • ImageMagick command lines containing -cdl
  • magick or convert processes exhibiting steadily increasing resident memory size
  • resource exhaustion events logged during image processing with color decision list handling

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize upgrade of ImageMagick installations to the specified fixed versions across all environments
  • Implement monitoring for unusual memory growth in ImageMagick processes
  • Review and restrict command-line options passed to ImageMagick in untrusted contexts
  • Test patched versions in staging before production deployment

The record

ImageMagick before 6.9.13-58 and 7.x before 7.1.2-33 contains a memory leak in the handling of the -cdl (color decision list) option, where allocated memory is not cleaned up after use. Attackers can supply input that causes the -cdl option to be processed, repeatedly leaking memory and degrading availability through resource exhaustion.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed

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