CVE-2018-11556: tificc in Little CMS 2.9 has an out-of-bounds write in the cmsPipelineCheckAndRetreiveStages function in cmslu

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HIGH 7.8DOWNGRADE

CVE-2018-11556 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting little cms. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

tificc in Little CMS 2.9 has an out-of-bounds write in the cmsPipelineCheckAndRetreiveStages function in cmslut.c in liblcms2.a via a crafted TIFF file. NOTE: Little CMS developers do consider this a vulnerability because the issue is based on an sample program using LIBTIFF and do not apply to the lcms2 library, lcms2 does not depends on LIBTIFF other than to build sample programs, and the issue cannot be reproduced on the lcms2 library.”

Why this priority

High severity

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	1.1% (top 36%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-787
Published	2018-05-30
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: littlecms

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2018-05-30 04:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 01:36 UTCUpdated Record last modified

littlecms little cms DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.9

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.9

1. Check installed version

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

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.9 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison little-cms sudo apt install little-cms=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.9> sudo apt-mark hold little-cms

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

dnf --showduplicates list little-cms sudo dnf downgrade little-cms-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.9> sudo dnf versionlock add little-cms

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.

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-2018-11556?

little cms: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2018-11556 being exploited?

CVE-2018-11556 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-2018-11556 affect?

CVE-2018-11556 affects little cms. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). tificc in Little CMS 2.9 has an out-of-bounds write in the cmsPipelineCheckAndRetreiveStages function in cmslut.c in liblcms2.a via a crafted TIFF file. NOTE: Little CMS developers do consider this a vulnerability because the issue is based

How urgent is CVE-2018-11556?

Priority 43/100. High severity

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-41254 MEDIUM 4.0 UPGRADE Little CMS (lcms2) through 2.18 has an integer overflow in CubeSize in cmslut.c because the overflow check is
CVE-2018-11555 HIGH 7.8 DOWNGRADE tificc in Little CMS 2.9 has an out-of-bounds write in the PrecalculatedXFORM function in cmsxform.c in liblcm
CVE-2009-0733 HIGH 9.3 UPGRADE DOWNGRADE Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in the ReadSetOfCurves function in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) befor
CVE-2009-0723 HIGH 9.3 UPGRADE DOWNGRADE Multiple integer overflows in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, Op
CVE-2009-0581 MEDIUM 4.3 UPGRADE UPGRADE Memory leak in LittleCMS (aka lcms or liblcms) before 1.18beta2, as used in Firefox 3.1beta, OpenJDK, and GIMP

References

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