CVE-2026-44037

Uncontrolled recursion in DCMTK JSON reader allows denial of service

Published Oct 8, 2026 CVSS 4.0 · 6.8 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
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.

Remediation

Vendor Solution

Update to a DCMTK version that contains commit cf955e64c35a1e07ba10698f639d5dcdec53b9d7. As of the publication date, no tagged release after DCMTK 3.7.0 includes this fix, so apply the commit or build from the current master branch.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values 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.
Title Uncontrolled recursion in DCMTK JSON reader allows denial of service
First Time appeared Offis
Offis dcmtk
Weaknesses CWE-674
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:offis:dcmtk:3.7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Offis
Offis dcmtk
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

cvssV4_0

{'score': 6.8, 'vector': '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'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
securin
Published
Updated
Oct 8, 2026, 2:08 PM
Reserved
May 5, 2026, 2:49 AM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Oct 8, 2026, 1:17 PM
Modified
Oct 8, 2026, 9:10 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Oct 8, 2026, 12:55 PM