diff --git a/doc/tutorials/introduction/env_reference/env_reference.markdown b/doc/tutorials/introduction/env_reference/env_reference.markdown
index c370ab8d6e..e6abc90f58 100644
--- a/doc/tutorials/introduction/env_reference/env_reference.markdown
+++ b/doc/tutorials/introduction/env_reference/env_reference.markdown
@@ -352,3 +352,7 @@ Some external dependencies can be detached into a dynamic library, which will be
 | OPENCV_IO_MAX_IMAGE_PIXELS | num | 1 << 30 | |
 | OPENCV_IO_ENABLE_OPENEXR | bool | true (set build option OPENCV_IO_FORCE_OPENEXR or use external OpenEXR), false (otherwise) | enable OpenEXR backend |
 | OPENCV_IO_ENABLE_JASPER | bool | true (set build option OPENCV_IO_FORCE_JASPER), false (otherwise) | enable Jasper backend |
+
+### Note
+* OpenEXR support in OpenCV is optional. Source builds may include a bundled 3rdparty OpenEXR 2.3.0, but runtime support must be explicitly enabled via `OPENCV_IO_ENABLE_OPENEXR`. Users can also build OpenCV against a system-installed OpenEXR library.
+* Support is disabled by default due to historical security considerations with malformed EXR files in older OpenEXR versions. Upgrading to OpenEXR 3.x is not a drop-in change and requires API and ABI adaptations.
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