Exiv2 has quadratic performance in ICC profile parsing in JpegBase::readMetadata
Impact
A denial-of-service was found in Exiv2 version v0.28.5: a quadratic algorithm in the ICC profile parsing code in jpegBase::readMetadata() can cause Exiv2 to run for a long time. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The denial-of-service is triggered when Exiv2 is used to read the metadata of a crafted jpg image file.
Patches
The bug is fixed in version v0.28.6.
References
Issue: https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/issues/3333 Fixes: https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/3335 (main branch), https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/3345 (0.28.x branch)
For more information
Please see our security policy for information about Exiv2 security.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | exiv2 | <= 0.17.3 | no fix |
References
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/security/advisories/GHSA-m54q-mm9w-fp6g
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-55304
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/issues/3333
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/3335
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/3345
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2
- https://pypi.org/project/exiv2
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-m54q-mm9w-fp6g
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-407- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
exiv2- Disclosed
- 29.08.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:19
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-1355 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-m54q-mm9w-fp6g - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: exiv2
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 15
- First → latest
- 05.2017 08.2025
- Without a fix
- 12
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 3
- Medium 10
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2017: 1
- 2018: 4
- 2019: 1
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 2
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 2
- 2024: 2
- 2025: 3
- 2026: 0
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Exiv2 has quadratic performance in ICC profile parsing in JpegBase::readMetadata this entry
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