CVE-2026-44033: CWE-674 Uncontrolled Recursion in OFFIS DCMTK
Description
CVE-2026-44033 is a medium severity vulnerability in OFFIS DCMTK 3.7.0 caused by uncontrolled recursion in the bundled XML parser's XMLNode::ParseXMLElement() and XMLNode::emptyTheNode() functions. This flaw allows an attacker to trigger a denial of service via stack exhaustion and process crash by supplying a crafted XML document with deeply nested elements. The vulnerability affects applications using the parser through dcmencap or any that call OFXMLParser::parseFile() or parseString() on untrusted input. The issue is fixed in a specific commit identified by the vendor.
CVSS v4.0
Score 6.8medium
Affected software
OFFIS
DCMTK
cpe:2.3:a:offis:dcmtk:3.7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*Run on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability arises from uncontrolled recursion in the XML parser component of OFFIS DCMTK version 3.7.0, specifically within XMLNode::ParseXMLElement() and XMLNode::emptyTheNode() functions in ofstd/libsrc/ofxml.cc. An attacker can cause a denial of service by providing a crafted XML document containing deeply nested elements, leading to stack exhaustion and process crash. The parser is accessible via the dcmencap tool when encapsulating CDA documents and any application invoking OFXMLParser::parseFile() or parseString() on untrusted XML input. The vendor has fixed the issue in commit d12e350e687530eb41e2b0c860aff4d8c04e5941.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause a denial of service condition by triggering stack exhaustion and crashing the process that uses the vulnerable XML parser. This affects applications that parse untrusted XML input using the affected DCMTK version, potentially disrupting service availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available as the issue has been resolved in commit d12e350e687530eb41e2b0c860aff4d8c04e5941. Users of OFFIS DCMTK version 3.7.0 should apply this fix or upgrade to a version that includes it to mitigate the vulnerability. Until patched, avoid parsing untrusted XML input with the affected parser functions.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- securin
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-05T02:49:00.667Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ac794de2cdf04f6561753cd
Added to database: 10/08/2026, 13:04:30 UTC
Last enriched: 10/08/2026, 13:19:10 UTC
Last updated: 10/08/2026, 13:19:31 UTC
Views: 4
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