Description

Integer overflow or wraparound in Windows GDI+ allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-11T17:18:36.313Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-11T17:18:36.313Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An integer overflow or wraparound vulnerability exists within the Windows GDI+ subsystem, posing significant security risks to affected Microsoft Windows environments. This vulnerability allows an unauthorized remote attacker to execute arbitrary code over a network without requiring prior authentication or user interaction beyond standard network exposure.\nThe primary impact of successful exploitation is remote code execution, which can lead to a complete compromise of the underlying operating system. An attacker capable of exploiting this integer overflow can manipulate memory allocation sizes, leading to heap corruption or buffer overflow conditions. This compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability.\nAffected systems include environments utilizing vulnerable iterations of the Windows GDI+ component for rendering graphical content. Given the network-accessible attack vector, malicious actors can weaponize specially crafted image files or network data streams to target the parsing logic of the Windows GDI+ component.\nRisk implications are severe due to the potential for unauthenticated remote code execution. Security operations teams must prioritize identifying systems running vulnerable versions of Windows GDI+ and apply applicable vendor-supplied patches or workarounds to mitigate the threat of exploitation.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability resides in the arithmetic processing within the Windows GDI+ component when handling sizing calculations for memory allocation. Specifically, an integer overflow or integer wraparound condition occurs when untrusted input containing dimensions or lengths is processed by the graphics rendering engine without adequate bounds checking or safe arithmetic operations.\nDuring the parsing of complex graphical data structures or image files, the application calculates the required buffer size by multiplying or adding dimension parameters derived from the input file. If these values are maliciously crafted to cause an integer overflow, the resulting allocated buffer size becomes significantly smaller than expected by the subsequent data copying routines.\nWhen the Windows GDI+ component attempts to write the parsed graphical data into the undersized heap buffer, a classic heap-based buffer overflow ensues. This memory corruption overwrites adjacent heap metadata or critical application data structures, allowing an attacker to hijack the control flow of the application or the operating system process executing the GDI+ parsing routines.\nThe attack flow begins when an unauthorized attacker transmits a specially crafted payload over a network to a vulnerable system or tricks a target into processing a malicious graphical file processed by the Windows GDI+ subsystem. Network exposure is a primary vector, as the processing routines can be invoked remotely via protocols or services that parse untrusted image or graphics data.\nAuthentication requirements are absent, meaning an unauthenticated remote attacker can initiate the attack sequence. Privilege requirements are typically limited to whatever context the vulnerable process or service running Windows GDI+ operates under, though successful memory corruption often leads to execution with elevated privileges depending on the host service architecture.\nPost-exploitation impact includes arbitrary code execution within the security context of the affected process. An attacker can deploy secondary payloads, establish command and control channels, pivot to other network segments, or install persistent backdoors, thereby achieving total system compromise."
}