Answer in brief
CVE-2026-73639 records a Critical severity (CVSS 9.1) vulnerability in Imager::File::PNG versions from 1.003 before 1.004 for Perl write past the end of the row buffer reading a PNG with a tRNS transparency chunk in read_direct8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Imager (generic), Imager-File-PNG (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 9.1. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps Imager (generic), Imager-File-PNG (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| Imagergeneric | >=1.034 <1.035 | 1.035 |
| Imager-File-PNGgeneric | >=1.003 <1.004 | 1.004 |
Published upstream
Sep 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Sep 22, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Sep 17, 2026
Imager::File::PNG versions from 1.003 before 1.004 for Perl write past the end of the row buffer reading a PNG with a tRNS transparency chunk in read_direct8. With a tRNS chunk, read_direct8() adds an alpha channel to the image it creates but still sizes the row buffer from the original channel count. libpng expands the transparency into that extra channel, so png_read_row() fills one channel more than the buffer holds, at one byte per sample, and writes width bytes past the end of the allocation. Palette images go to read_paletted() and 16-bit images to read_direct16(), which sizes its buffer from png_get_rowbytes() and allocates enough for the expanded row. The same reader ships bundled in the Imager distribution. Reading an attacker-supplied PNG through Imager->read() corrupts the heap, which can crash the process.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.