GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-415 vulnerability in pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawable. 25 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawable — see the affected versions and patch details below.
android-gif-drawable Double Free vulnerability
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawableReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A double free vulnerability in the DDGifSlurp function in decoding.c in the android-gif-drawable library before version 1.2.18, as used in WhatsApp for Android before version 2.19.244 and many other Android applications, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service when the library is used to parse a specially crafted GIF image.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawable | all versions | 1.2.18pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawable:1.2.18 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Whatsapp 2.19.216 - Remote Code Execution
by Valerio Brussani · Oct 16, 2019
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawable, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update pl.droidsonroids.gif:android-gif-drawable to 1.2.18 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-x534-j49x-mqvj across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.