CVE-2026-41142 AcademySoftwareFoundation CVE debrief

Who should care

Organizations and developers using OpenEXR versions 3.0.0 through 3.2.8, 3.3.0 through 3.3.10, and 3.4.0 through 3.4.10 should prioritize patching to mitigate this high-severity vulnerability. Given the widespread use of OpenEXR in the motion picture industry for image storage, media and entertainment companies, as well as software developers integrating OpenEXR into their products, are particularly at risk. Additionally, security teams responsible for maintaining software inventories and ensuring vulnerability management practices are up-to-date will want to address this CVE promptly.

Technical summary

The CVE-2026-41142 vulnerability is caused by an integer overflow in the ImageChannel::resize function of OpenEXR. This function is part of the OpenEXRUtil public API, which is used for various image processing tasks. When a crafted image file is processed, the integer overflow can occur, leading to a heap out-of-bounds write. This type of vulnerability can be exploited to execute arbitrary code, potentially allowing an attacker to gain control over the affected system. The vulnerability's CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating that it can be exploited over the network with low attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction needed. The impact is high across confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Defensive priority

This vulnerability should be prioritized for immediate patching due to its high severity and potential for exploitation. Given that OpenEXR is widely used in the media and entertainment industry, defenders must ensure that all affected versions (3.0.0 to before 3.2.9, 3.3.0 to before 3.3.11, and 3.4.0 to before 3.4.11) are updated to patched versions (3.2.9, 3.3.11, or 3.4.11) as soon as possible.

Recommended defensive actions

• Inventory OpenEXR installations to identify all affected versions.
• Apply patches (versions 3.2.9, 3.3.11, or 3.4.11) to vulnerable OpenEXR installations.
• Implement compensating controls such as input validation and bounds checking for applications using OpenEXR.
• Monitor systems for suspicious activity indicative of exploitation attempts.
• Update software development and testing processes to include vulnerability checks for OpenEXR.
• Verify that vendor advisories and security bulletins are reviewed and acted upon.

Evidence notes

The CVE-2026-41142 vulnerability details were obtained from the CVE.org record and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). Additional information was sourced from OpenEXR's official GitHub repository and related security advisories. The CVSS score and vector were directly obtained from the CVE and NVD sources.

Official resources