CVE-2009-0581: Memory leak in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK, and GIMP

Q: How do I fix CVE-2009-0581?

little cms: upgrade to newer than 1.17; gimp: upgrade to 2.9.2; firefox: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2009-0581 being exploited?

CVE-2009-0581 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2009-0581 affect?

CVE-2009-0581 affects little cms, gimp, firefox. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.3). Memory leak in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK, and GIMP, allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted image f

Q: How urgent is CVE-2009-0581?

Priority 41/100. Public exploit reference

This month

MEDIUM 4.3UPGRADEUPGRADEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2009-0581 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.3) affecting little cms, gimp, firefox. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Memory leak in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK, and GIMP, allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted image file.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.3 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	2.5% (top 15%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-401
Published	2009-03-23
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: gimp · littlecms · mozilla · oracle

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2009-03-23 14:19 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 23:05 UTCUpdated Record last modified

littlecms little cms UPGRADE

Affected: <= 1.17

Fixed in: newer than 1.17

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy little-cms || rpm -q little-cms || little-cms --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 1.17 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade little-cms

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade little-cms

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

gimp gimp UPGRADE

Affected: < 2.9.2

Fixed in: 2.9.2

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy gimp || rpm -q gimp || gimp --version

2. UPGRADE to 2.9.2 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade gimp

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade gimp

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

mozilla firefox DOWNGRADE

Affected: 3.1 beta1

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 3.1

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy firefox || rpm -q firefox || firefox --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 3.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison firefox sudo apt install firefox=<VERSION_BEFORE_3.1> sudo apt-mark hold firefox

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list firefox sudo dnf downgrade firefox-<VERSION_BEFORE_3.1> sudo dnf versionlock add firefox

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

oracle openjdk UPGRADE

Affected: <= 7

Fixed in: newer than 7

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy openjdk || rpm -q openjdk || openjdk --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 7 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade openjdk

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade openjdk

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2009-0581?

little cms: upgrade to newer than 1.17; gimp: upgrade to 2.9.2; firefox: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2009-0581 being exploited?

CVE-2009-0581 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2009-0581 affect?

CVE-2009-0581 affects little cms, gimp, firefox. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.3). Memory leak in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK, and GIMP, allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted image f

How urgent is CVE-2009-0581?

Priority 41/100. Public exploit reference

Software pages

Mozilla Firefox vulnerabilities

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References

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