CVE-2026-5442
Heap Buffer Overflow in DICOM Image Decoder via VR UL Dimensions
Description
A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the DICOM image decoder. Dimension fields are encoded using Value Representation (VR) Unsigned Long (UL), instead of the expected VR Unsigned Short (US), which allows extremely large dimensions to be processed. This causes an integer overflow during frame size calculation and results in out-of-bounds memory access during image decoding.
INFO
Published Date :
April 9, 2026, 3:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
April 9, 2026, 3:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-5442
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Validate DICOM dimension fields against expected VR.
- Sanitize input to prevent integer overflow.
- Implement bounds checking for memory access.
- Update the DICOM image decoder.
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-2026-5442.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/536588 | |
| https://www.machinespirits.de/ | |
| https://www.orthanc-server.com/ |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-5442 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-2026-5442
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-2026-5442 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-5442 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 [email protected]
Apr. 09, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the DICOM image decoder. Dimension fields are encoded using Value Representation (VR) Unsigned Long (UL), instead of the expected VR Unsigned Short (US), which allows extremely large dimensions to be processed. This causes an integer overflow during frame size calculation and results in out-of-bounds memory access during image decoding. Added Reference https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/536588 Added Reference https://www.machinespirits.de/ Added Reference https://www.orthanc-server.com/