CVE-2024-34508 is a vulnerability identified in the dcmnet module of the DCMTK (DICOM Toolkit) software package, which is widely used for handling DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) protocols in medical imaging environments. The issue exists in versions prior to 3.6.9, where processing an invalid DIMSE (DICOM Message Service Element) message triggers a segmentation fault. This fault arises due to a null pointer dereference (CWE-476), causing the affected application to crash and resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L) and requires only low privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N) is necessary. The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity primarily due to availability impact without compromising confidentiality or integrity. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported yet. The lack of patch links suggests that users should upgrade to DCMTK version 3.6.9 or later once available, as this version presumably addresses the issue. The vulnerability is significant in healthcare environments where DCMTK is used for medical image transfer and communication, as service interruptions could impact clinical workflows and patient care.

For European organizations, particularly healthcare providers and medical imaging centers, this vulnerability poses a risk of service disruption in critical medical imaging systems that rely on DCMTK for DICOM communications. A segmentation fault triggered by malformed DIMSE messages can cause system crashes or application downtime, potentially delaying diagnostic processes and impacting patient treatment timelines. Although the vulnerability does not expose patient data or allow unauthorized data modification, the availability impact can degrade operational efficiency and trust in medical IT infrastructure. Given the increasing digitization of healthcare in Europe and strict regulatory requirements for medical device reliability, even medium-severity DoS vulnerabilities warrant prompt attention. Additionally, denial of service in medical imaging systems could indirectly affect emergency response and clinical decision-making. Organizations with interconnected hospital networks or remote imaging services are more exposed to remote exploitation attempts.

1. Upgrade DCMTK to version 3.6.9 or later as soon as it becomes available, as this version is expected to contain the fix for the segmentation fault vulnerability. 2. Implement network-level filtering and intrusion detection systems to monitor and block malformed or suspicious DIMSE messages targeting DICOM services. 3. Restrict network access to DICOM services to trusted hosts and authenticated users only, minimizing exposure to untrusted networks. 4. Employ application-layer firewalls or DICOM-aware proxies that validate DIMSE message integrity before forwarding to backend systems. 5. Conduct regular security assessments and fuzz testing of DICOM communication channels to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities proactively. 6. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential service disruptions. 7. Collaborate with medical device vendors and IT teams to ensure timely patch management and vulnerability disclosure handling.