CVE-2026-24856 is a vulnerability in the InternationalColorConsortium's iccDEV library, which provides tools and libraries for handling ICC color management profiles. Versions prior to 2.3.1.2 improperly handle floating-point NaN values during XML parsing of ICC profiles, specifically when converting these NaN values to unsigned short integers. This improper input validation leads to undefined behavior that can corrupt memory structures, such as heap or stack data, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code. The root cause is a failure to validate or sanitize user-controllable input embedded within ICC profile data, which is often processed by image editing, printing, or color management software. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), CWE-681 (Incorrect Conversion between Numeric Types), and CWE-704 (Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast). Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, as the vulnerable code is triggered during ICC profile parsing. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.8, indicating high severity, with impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no workarounds are available. The issue is fixed in iccDEV version 2.3.1.2, which should be applied promptly to mitigate risk.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk especially to sectors relying heavily on color management workflows, such as digital media production, printing, publishing, and manufacturing industries that use ICC profiles extensively. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access, manipulate sensitive data, disrupt operations, or deploy further malware. Confidentiality could be compromised if attackers access proprietary or personal data embedded in color profiles or related files. Integrity and availability of systems could be affected if attackers corrupt memory or crash applications processing ICC profiles. Given the local access and user interaction requirements, insider threats or targeted attacks via crafted ICC profiles embedded in documents or images are plausible. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk, but the high CVSS score and potential impact warrant proactive mitigation. Organizations involved in critical infrastructure or government services using affected software should be particularly vigilant.

1. Immediately upgrade all instances of iccDEV to version 2.3.1.2 or later to apply the official patch. 2. Audit and inventory all software and workflows that utilize iccDEV libraries or process ICC profiles to identify vulnerable endpoints. 3. Implement strict input validation and sandboxing for applications that parse ICC profiles to limit the impact of malformed or malicious profiles. 4. Restrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized execution of untrusted ICC profiles, especially in shared or multi-user environments. 5. Educate users about the risks of opening files with embedded ICC profiles from untrusted sources to reduce social engineering attack vectors. 6. Monitor logs and system behavior for anomalies related to ICC profile processing, such as crashes or memory corruption events. 7. Coordinate with software vendors to ensure timely updates and patches for dependent applications using iccDEV. 8. Consider deploying application whitelisting or behavior-based detection to catch exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability.