Critical ExifTool Vulnerability Lets Hackers Compromise Macs via Malicious Images

Gbhackers •Mayura Kathir • May 20, 2026

A newly disclosed vulnerability in ExifTool, tracked as CVE-2026-3102, exposes macOS systems to command execution attacks through malicious image metadata, highlighting ongoing risks in widely used file processing tools. ExifTool is a popular utility used across media workflows to read and write metadata in images, PDFs, and multimedia files. Its flexibility and integration into automation […]

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Critical ExifTool Vulnerability (CVE-2026-3102) Threatens macOS Systems A severe vulnerability in ExifTool (CVE-2026-3102) allows attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands on macOS systems by embedding malicious instructions in image file metadata. Discovered by Kaspersky's GReAT in February 2026, this flaw affects ExifTool versions 13.49 and earlier. Exploitation requires the use of the -n flag, enabling command injection via the SetMacOSTags function. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and poses a significant risk as it can be exploited remotely. Users are advised to upgrade to ExifTool version 13.50 to mitigate this risk. The flaw is linked to a previous vulnerability (CVE-2021-22204), showcasing ongoing issues with input validation in ExifTool. The potential for full system compromise makes this a critical security concern for macOS users. 3 sources 73

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Critical ExifTool Vulnerability Lets Hackers Compromise Macs via Malicious Images

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