# DavidBuchanan314/ambiguous-png-packer

Craft PNG files that appear completely different in Apple software [NOW PATCHED]

Repository: https://github.com/DavidBuchanan314/ambiguous-png-packer
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ambiguous-png-packer
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: png, png-encoder, exploit, apple, idot
Last push: 2022-03-07T12:53:36+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1721, "days_push": 1640, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1059, forks 32 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:25.622830+00:00)

## What it is
A Python tool that crafts PNG files rendering differently in Apple software versus other viewers, exploiting a parsing ambiguity in Apple's image decoders. The underlying Apple bug has since been patched.

## Use cases
- craft a png that looks different on safari vs chrome
- research image parser discrepancies across platforms
- demonstrate apple png decoding exploit
- create ambiguous images for security presentations
- test how different renderers decode the same png

## When to choose
- studying historical image-parsing vulnerabilities on Apple platforms
- demonstrating decoder inconsistency in security research or talks

## When to avoid
- you need a working exploit today - the Apple bug is patched
- production image processing or general PNG encoding

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: maintenance
- function: image-processing, security, parser
- domain: security, image-processing, reverse-engineering
- platform: python, cli, cross-platform
- tags: png, exploit, apple, image-differential, cve-research

## Member repositories
- DavidBuchanan314/ambiguous-png-packer (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:25.622830+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:57:05.224937+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/DavidBuchanan314/ambiguous-png-packer (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:25.622830+00:00, sha 7f9f9fef3250)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.