CVE-2009-0040: The PNG reference library (aka libpng) before 1.0.43, and 1.2.x before 1.2.35, as used in pngcrush and othe...

Security readout for executives and security teams

A flaw in older libpng versions can crash software, and in some situations may allow code execution, when a malicious PNG image is processed. Business risk is highest where web apps, desktop apps, or batch jobs accept untrusted images and rely on vulnerable libpng builds. Exposure is likely in legacy systems, embedded products, or applications using old libpng packages, including tools such as pngcrush. Listed vendor advisories from Red Hat, SUSE, Apple, Gentoo, and Debian indicate broad downstream packaging impact. Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or high-volume image-processing systems first. This is an old issue, but vulnerable legacy libraries can persist in bundled tools and appliances. No active exploitation is cited in the provided sources. Mitigation focus: Upgrade libpng to 1.0.43, 1.2.35, or later fixed vendor packages.; Apply relevant operating system vendor security updates for libpng-dependent packages.; Identify applications that statically bundle libpng and update or rebuild them..

Prepared

Jun 28, 2026, 11:23 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.