CVE-2026-44037
Uncontrolled recursion in DCMTK JSON reader allows denial of service
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
6.8
Uncontrolled recursion in DCMTK JSON reader allows denial of service
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.
- Record
CVE-2026-44037- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-674
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-94940
6.8
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.
- Record
EUVD-2026-94940- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-w8m4-mhcj-8r75
6.8
Uncontrolled mutual recursion between DcmJSONReader::parseDataSet(), DcmJSONReader::parseElement(...
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.
- Record
GHSA-w8m4-mhcj-8r75- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/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 - CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-674
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
6.8
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.
- Record
CVE-2026-44037- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/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 - CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-674
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.8
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.
- Record
CVE-2026-44037- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/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 - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-44037
6.8
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.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-44037- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/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 - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-44037
6.8
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.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-44037- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
dcmtkDebian:12 |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.7-113.6.7-123.6.7-133.6.7-143.6.7-15 Show 35 moreShow less3.6.7-83.6.7-93.6.7-9.13.6.7-9~deb12u13.6.7-9~deb12u23.6.7-9~deb12u33.6.7-9~deb12u43.6.8-13.6.8-23.6.8-33.6.8-43.6.8-53.6.8-63.6.8-73.6.8~git20221024.b8950f9-13.6.8~git20221024.b8950f9-23.6.8~git20221024.b8950f9-33.6.8~git20231027.1549d8c-13.6.8~git20231027.1549d8c-23.6.9-13.6.9-23.6.9-33.6.9-43.6.9-53.6.9-63.7.0+really3.6.9-13.7.0+really3.7.0-0+exp13.7.0+really3.7.0-13.7.0+really3.7.0-23.7.0+really3.7.0-33.7.0+really3.7.0-43.7.0+really3.7.0-53.7.0+really3.7.0-63.7.0+really3.7.0-73.7.0-1 |
None known |
dcmtkDebian:13 |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.9-53.6.9-5+deb13u13.6.9-5+deb13u23.6.9-5+deb13u33.6.9-6 Show 10 moreShow less3.7.0+really3.6.9-13.7.0+really3.7.0-0+exp13.7.0+really3.7.0-13.7.0+really3.7.0-23.7.0+really3.7.0-33.7.0+really3.7.0-43.7.0+really3.7.0-53.7.0+really3.7.0-63.7.0+really3.7.0-73.7.0-1 |
None known |
dcmtkDebian:14 |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.9-53.6.9-63.7.0+really3.6.9-13.7.0+really3.7.0-0+exp13.7.0+really3.7.0-1 Show 7 moreShow less3.7.0+really3.7.0-23.7.0+really3.7.0-33.7.0+really3.7.0-43.7.0+really3.7.0-53.7.0+really3.7.0-63.7.0+really3.7.0-73.7.0-1 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.0-15.13.6.1~20150629-53.6.1~20150924-43.6.1~20150924-53.6.1~20150924-5ubuntu0.1~esm13.6.1~20150924-5ubuntu0.1~esm23.6.1~20150924-5ubuntu0.1~esm3 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.2-23.6.2-2build13.6.2-33.6.2-3build13.6.2-3build2 Show 4 moreShow less3.6.2-3build33.6.2-3ubuntu0.1~esm13.6.2-3ubuntu0.1~esm23.6.2-3ubuntu0.1~esm3 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.4-2.13.6.4-2.1build13.6.4-2.1build23.6.4-2.1ubuntu0.1~esm13.6.4-2.1ubuntu0.13.6.4-2.1ubuntu0.1+esm13.6.4-2.1ubuntu0.23.6.4-2.1ubuntu0.2+esm1 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.5-13.6.6-3ubuntu13.6.6-3ubuntu23.6.6-43.6.6-53.6.6-5ubuntu0.1~esm13.6.6-5ubuntu0.1~esm2 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.7-93.6.7-9.1build23.6.7-9.1build33.6.7-9.1build43.6.7-9.1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:26.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.7.0+really3.6.9-13.7.0+really3.7.0-23.7.0+really3.7.0-53.7.0+really3.7.0-63.7.0+really3.7.0-7ubuntu1 |
None known |
dcmtkUbuntu:26.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.6.9-5build13.6.9-63.7.0+really3.6.9-1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-44037 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.8) in Offis Dcmtk, published October 8, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.10%, the 1st percentile. No source names a fixed version.
References
support.dcmtk.org/redmine/issues/1225
github.com/DCMTK/dcmtk/commit/cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44037
github.com/advisories/GHSA-w8m4-mhcj-8r75
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-44037
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-44037
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-44037