HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2011-2690
HIGH

CVE-2011-2690

CWE-120Published: July 17, 2011· Updated: Jun 16, 2026

8.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Buffer overflow in libpng 1.0.x before 1.0.55, 1.2.x before 1.2.45, 1.4.x before 1.4.8, and 1.5.x before 1.5.4, when used by an application that calls the png_rgb_to_gray function but not the png_set_expand function, allows remote attackers to overwrite memory with an arbitrary amount of data, and possibly have unspecified other impact, via a crafted PNG image.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2011-2690 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
libpng1 product(s)
libpng
Source: NVD CPE · 8 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (42)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2011-2690
CVSS Score8.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-120
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 17, 2011

Related CVEs (CWE-120)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2011-2690 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.