CVE-2026-22187
Deserialization in Openmicroscopy Bio-Formats ≤ 8.3.0
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:L/VA:H/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:XSummary
CVE-2026-22187 is a medium-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Openmicroscopy Bio-Formats. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 38th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-22187 is an unsafe Java deserialization vulnerability in Bio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0. The issue resides in the loci.formats.Memoizer class, which automatically loads and deserializes memoization cache files (.bfmemo) associated with images during processing, without performing validation, integrity checks, or trust enforcement. This flaw, classified under CWE-502, enables deserialization of untrusted data when a crafted .bfmemo file is present alongside an image file.
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by supplying a malicious .bfmemo file paired with a legitimate image. Exploitation requires local access (AV:L) with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), and user interaction (UI:R), such as a user opening the image in an affected Bio-Formats application. Successful deserialization may lead to denial of service, logic manipulation, or remote code execution in environments where suitable gadget chains exist on the classpath. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), reflecting high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation guidance is available in related advisories, including the Open Microscopy Environment Bio-Formats documentation at https://docs.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats/, the Full Disclosure mailing list posting at https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Jan/7, and VulnCheck's advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/bio-formats-memoizer-unsafe-deserialization-via-bfmemo-cache-files. Security practitioners should consult these resources for patching instructions and workarounds specific to affected versions.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-1165
Vulnerability Data
Bio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0 perform unsafe Java deserialization of attacker-controlled memoization cache files (.bfmemo) during image processing. The loci.formats.Memoizer class automatically loads and deserializes memo files associated with images without validation, integrity checks, or trust enforcement. An…
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attacker who can supply a crafted .bfmemo file alongside an image can trigger deserialization of untrusted data, which may result in denial of service, logic manipulation, or potentially remote code execution in environments where suitable gadget chains are present on the classpath.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can uncover deserialization flaws before deployment.
Input validation directly stops deserialization of untrusted data by ensuring inputs are valid before processing.
Engineering principles such as safe deserialization and input sanitization structurally prevent the weakness from being introduced.
Integrity verification tools can detect malformed or tampered serialized data after the fact.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing includes validation of deserialization routines and the use of untrusted data, reducing the likelihood that unsafe object reconstruction will be deployed.
Requiring vetted libraries, regular updates and SAST before release reduces the likelihood that deserialization logic will accept and act on attacker-controlled serialized objects.
Regular scanning of third-party libraries and timely patching reduce the likelihood that unsafe deserialization vulnerabilities remain active.
Mandatory malware scanning of data received over networks or storage media intercepts malicious serialized payloads before they are deserialized by the target application.