CVE-2025-2760
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious XWD image files in GIMP. The integer overflow during file parsing enables buffer overflow leading to remote code execution. All GIMP users who open untrusted XWD files are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
📦 What is this software?
Gimp by Gimp
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the GIMP user, potentially leading to lateral movement, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or malware installation on the user's system when opening a malicious XWD file from email or web download.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially only affecting the GIMP process.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction to open malicious file. Exploit development requires bypassing modern OS protections like ASLR and DEP.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: GIMP 2.10.40 and 3.0.0
Vendor Advisory: https://www.gimp.org/news/2025/10/15/gimp-2-10-40-released/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download latest GIMP version from official website or package manager. 2. Install over existing version. 3. Verify installation with version check.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable XWD file support
linuxRemove or disable XWD file format plugin to prevent parsing of malicious files
mv /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/file-xwd /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/file-xwd.disabled
Restart GIMP
File association removal
windowsRemove .xwd file association with GIMP to prevent automatic opening
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application allowlisting to prevent execution of unauthorized GIMP versions
- Use sandboxing solutions to isolate GIMP from critical system resources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check GIMP version: gimp --version. If version is below 2.10.40, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
gimp --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify GIMP version is 2.10.40 or higher: gimp --version | grep -E '2\.10\.(4[0-9]|[5-9][0-9])|3\.'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- GIMP crash logs with XWD file references
- Unexpected GIMP process spawning child processes
- File access to .xwd files from untrusted sources
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of .xwd files from suspicious sources
- Email attachments with .xwd extensions
SIEM Query:
process_name:"gimp" AND file_extension:".xwd" AND event_type:"process_creation"