The vulnerability CVE-2026-27691 affects the iccDEV library, which is widely used for handling ICC color management profiles. Specifically, the flaw is a signed integer overflow in the iccFromCube.cpp source file during a multiplication operation. When processing ICC profiles with crafted or unusually large cube inputs, this overflow triggers undefined behavior. This can manifest as application crashes or the generation of incorrect ICC profiles, potentially disrupting workflows that depend on accurate color management. The root cause is an unchecked arithmetic operation that exceeds the bounds of a signed integer, leading to wraparound or overflow. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction but does require local access to the system or application using iccDEV. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.2, reflecting a medium severity primarily due to the impact on availability (denial of service) without affecting confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits have been reported, and no workarounds are currently available. The issue was addressed in a commit identified as 43ae18dd69fc70190d3632a18a3af2f3da1e052a, which corrects the integer overflow condition. Users of iccDEV versions 2.3.1.4 and earlier are advised to upgrade to patched versions to mitigate this risk.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is on the availability and reliability of applications that utilize the iccDEV library for ICC profile processing. A successful exploitation can cause application crashes or corrupt ICC profiles, which may disrupt color management workflows in industries such as digital imaging, printing, and media production. Incorrect ICC profiles can lead to color inaccuracies, affecting product quality and user experience. While the vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized access, the denial-of-service effect can cause operational downtime or require manual intervention to restore correct color profiles. Organizations with automated or large-scale color profile processing pipelines are particularly at risk. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate the risk of future attacks, especially as crafted inputs could be used to trigger the overflow. The vulnerability's local access requirement limits remote exploitation but insider threats or compromised local accounts could leverage this flaw.

To mitigate CVE-2026-27691, organizations should promptly update iccDEV to a version later than 2.3.1.4 that includes the fix for the integer overflow. Since no workarounds exist, patching is the primary defense. Additionally, organizations should implement input validation and sanitization on ICC profile data before processing to detect and reject abnormally large or malformed cube inputs that could trigger the overflow. Employing application-level monitoring to detect crashes or anomalies during ICC profile handling can provide early warning of exploitation attempts. Restricting local access to systems running iccDEV reduces the attack surface, as exploitation requires local access. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, isolating or sandboxing the color profile processing components can limit the impact of crashes. Finally, maintain regular backups of ICC profiles and related configuration to enable quick recovery from corrupted data.