CVE-2023-44441 – This vulnerability allows remote attackers to e... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-44441?

CVE-2023-44441 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable GIMP installations by tricking users into opening malicious DDS image files. The heap-based buffer overflow occurs during DDS file parsing due to insufficient length validation. All GIMP users who open untrusted DDS files are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable GIMP installations by tricking users into opening malicious DDS image files. The heap-based buffer overflow occurs during DDS file parsing due to insufficient length validation. All GIMP users who open untrusted DDS files are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

Versions: Versions prior to 2.10.36

Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default installations are vulnerable. Requires user interaction to open malicious DDS file.

📦 What is this software?

Gimp by Gimp

View all CVEs affecting Gimp →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the GIMP user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.

🟠

Likely Case

Local privilege escalation or malware installation on the user's system, with potential data exfiltration.

🟢

If Mitigated

Application crash (denial of service) if exploit fails or is blocked by security controls.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires user to open malicious file but no authentication needed. ZDI has confirmed the vulnerability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: GIMP 2.10.36 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.gimp.org/news/2023/11/07/gimp-2-10-36-released/

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Download GIMP 2.10.36 or newer from official website. 2. Install the update. 3. Verify installation by checking version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable DDS file support

linux

Remove or disable DDS file format plugin to prevent parsing of malicious files

mv ~/.config/GIMP/2.10/plug-ins/file-dds ~/.config/GIMP/2.10/plug-ins/file-dds.disabled

Use file type restrictions

all

Configure system to only allow trusted DDS files or block DDS file extensions

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Run GIMP with reduced privileges (sandboxing)
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check GIMP version - if below 2.10.36, system is vulnerable

Check Version:

gimp --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify GIMP version is 2.10.36 or higher

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

GIMP crash logs with memory access violations
Unexpected process creation from GIMP

Network Indicators:

Downloads of DDS files from untrusted sources

SIEM Query:

Process:Name='gimp' AND (EventID=1000 OR CommandLine CONTAINS '.dds')

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-44441

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-122

Published: May 3, 2024

Last Updated: November 4, 2025

🔗 References

https://www.gimp.org/news/2023/11/07/gimp-2-10-36-released/ Release Notes
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-23-1592/ Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00031.html
https://www.gimp.org/news/2023/11/07/gimp-2-10-36-released/ Release Notes
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-23-1592/ Third Party Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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