CVE-2026-44037
Uncontrolled recursion in DCMTK JSON reader allows denial of service
Description
Uncontrolled mutual recursion between DcmJSONReader::parseDataSet(), DcmJSONReader::parseElement() and DcmJSONReader::parseSequence() in dcmdata/libsrc/dcjsonrd.cc of OFFIS DCMTK 3.7.0 allows an attacker to cause a denial of service (stack exhaustion and process crash) via a crafted DICOM JSON document with deeply nested sequence (SQ) values. The json2dcm tool and any service that converts untrusted DICOM JSON (for example, DICOMweb payloads) with this reader are affected. The issue is fixed in commit cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 8, 2026, 1:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 8, 2026, 1:17 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | 33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | MITRE-CVE | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | 33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | 33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c |
Solution
- Update DCMTK to the latest version.
- Apply the fix from commit cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7.
- Validate JSON parsing logic for nested structures.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-44037.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/DCMTK/dcmtk/commit/cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7 | |
| https://support.dcmtk.org/redmine/issues/1225 |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-44037 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-44037
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-44037 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-44037 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
New CVE Received by 33c584b5-0579-4c06-b2a0-8d8329fcab9c
Oct. 08, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Uncontrolled mutual recursion between DcmJSONReader::parseDataSet(), DcmJSONReader::parseElement() and DcmJSONReader::parseSequence() in dcmdata/libsrc/dcjsonrd.cc of OFFIS DCMTK 3.7.0 allows an attacker to cause a denial of service (stack exhaustion and process crash) via a crafted DICOM JSON document with deeply nested sequence (SQ) values. The json2dcm tool and any service that converts untrusted DICOM JSON (for example, DICOMweb payloads) with this reader are affected. The issue is fixed in commit cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/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:X Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-674 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/44xxx/CVE-2026-44037.json">CVE-2026-44037</a> Added Reference https://github.com/DCMTK/dcmtk/commit/cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7 Added Reference https://support.dcmtk.org/redmine/issues/1225