6.8
MEDIUM CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-120244
FFmpeg 2.1 through 9.0.2 Uninitialized Memory Leak via PCX Decoder
Description

FFmpeg 2.1 through 9.0.2 contains a use of uninitialized resource vulnerability in the PCX decoder that allows attackers to leak heap memory through truncated RLE scanlines. Attackers can craft a PCX image whose RLE data ends early, causing pcx_decode_frame() to copy uninitialized av_malloc() buffer contents into visible decoded pixels.

INFO

Published Date :

Nov. 1, 2026, 1:17 a.m.

Last Modified :

Nov. 1, 2026, 1:17 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-120244 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

No affected product recoded yet

CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM 83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM 83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Update FFmpeg to a version that addresses the uninitialized resource vulnerability in the PCX decoder.
  • Update FFmpeg to a patched version.
  • Apply vendor-supplied patches for FFmpeg.
  • Recompile FFmpeg with updated code.
  • Validate the integrity of the FFmpeg installation.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-120244 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-120244 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-120244 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-120244 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Nov. 01, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description FFmpeg 2.1 through 9.0.2 contains a use of uninitialized resource vulnerability in the PCX decoder that allows attackers to leak heap memory through truncated RLE scanlines. Attackers can craft a PCX image whose RLE data ends early, causing pcx_decode_frame() to copy uninitialized av_malloc() buffer contents into visible decoded pixels.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
    Added CWE CWE-908
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/120xxx/CVE-2026-120244.json">CVE-2026-120244</a>
    Added Reference https://code.ffmpeg.org/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/pulls/24868
    Added Reference https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg
    Added Reference https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/blob/n9.0.2/libavcodec/pcx.c#L45-L59
    Added Reference https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/ecd5dfc308a164757e7f25b1afefd8db21b43cf9
    Added Reference https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ffmpeg-2.1-through-9.0.2-uninitialized-memory-leak-via-pcx-decoder
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.