CVE-2026-24405: iccDEV Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2026-24405 Overview

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability has been identified in iccDEV, a library and toolset for interacting with, manipulating, and applying ICC color management profiles. The vulnerability exists in the CIccMpeCalculator::Read() function where user-controllable input is unsafely incorporated into ICC profile data or other structured binary blobs, leading to heap memory corruption.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation of this heap buffer overflow may allow an attacker to perform denial of service (DoS), manipulate data, bypass application logic, and potentially achieve arbitrary code execution.

Affected Products

iccDEV version 2.3.1.1 and below
Applications and systems utilizing vulnerable iccDEV libraries for ICC profile processing
Color management workflows processing untrusted ICC profile data

Discovery Timeline

2026-01-24 - CVE-2026-24405 published to NVD
2026-01-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24405

Vulnerability Analysis

This heap buffer overflow vulnerability occurs within the CIccMpeCalculator::Read() function of the iccDEV library. The root issue stems from improper input validation (CWE-20) when processing the number of sub-elements (nSubElem) read from ICC profile data. Without proper bounds checking, an attacker can craft a malicious ICC profile that specifies an excessively large number of elements, leading to heap buffer overflows during subsequent memory operations.

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because ICC profiles are commonly processed by applications handling images, color management workflows, and document processing systems. An attacker could embed a malicious ICC profile in an image file or document, which when processed by a vulnerable application, would trigger the overflow condition.

Root Cause

The vulnerability is rooted in improper input validation (CWE-20) when reading the nSubElem value from ICC profile data. The original code failed to validate the number of sub-elements before using it in memory allocation and array operations. This allows an attacker to supply an arbitrarily large value that exceeds reasonable bounds, causing heap buffer overflows and potentially enabling memory corruption attacks.

Attack Vector

The attack requires user interaction where a victim must process a specially crafted ICC profile. Attack scenarios include:

Embedding a malicious ICC profile in an image file (PNG, JPEG, TIFF)
Distributing a standalone malicious ICC profile file
Injecting malicious profile data into document formats that support embedded color profiles

When the vulnerable CIccMpeCalculator::Read() function parses the crafted profile data, the unchecked nSubElem value triggers a heap buffer overflow, potentially allowing the attacker to corrupt adjacent heap memory, manipulate program execution flow, or cause application crashes.

cpp

   if (!pIO->Read32(&nSubElem))
     return false;
 
+  // Prevent excessive allocation and overflows - limit to 65536 elements (reasonable max)
+  const icUInt32Number MAX_CALC_ELEMENTS = 65536;
+  if (nSubElem >= MAX_CALC_ELEMENTS)
+    return false;
+
   icUInt32Number nPos = nSubElem + 1;
 
   if (headerSize + (icUInt64Number)nPos*sizeof(icPositionNumber) > size) {

Source: GitHub Commit Details

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24405

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected application crashes when processing ICC profiles or color-managed images
Memory corruption errors or heap corruption alerts in application logs
Unusual ICC profile files with abnormally large element counts in the calculator multi-processing element
Suspicious image files containing embedded ICC profiles from untrusted sources

Detection Strategies

Deploy file inspection rules to detect ICC profiles with unusually large nSubElem values in calculator elements
Monitor for heap corruption indicators and unexpected memory access violations in applications using iccDEV
Implement application crash analysis to identify patterns consistent with heap buffer overflow exploitation
Use static analysis tools to scan for applications compiled against vulnerable iccDEV versions (2.3.1.1 and below)

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable crash dump collection for applications processing ICC profiles to capture exploitation attempts
Monitor system logs for repeated application failures associated with image or document processing
Implement file type validation and sanitization for ICC profiles before processing
Deploy endpoint detection to identify anomalous behavior following ICC profile processing operations

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24405

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade iccDEV to version 2.3.1.2 or later immediately
Audit all applications and systems using iccDEV libraries to identify affected deployments
Implement input validation and file sanitization for ICC profiles from untrusted sources
Consider blocking or quarantining untrusted ICC profile files until patching is complete

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been fixed in iccDEV version 2.3.1.2. The patch introduces bounds checking for the nSubElem value, limiting the maximum number of calculator sub-elements to 65536 (a reasonable maximum). This prevents excessive memory allocation attempts and heap buffer overflow conditions. The fix is available via commit d22fc174866e2521f8a5f9393fab5be306329f62.

For more details, see the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-2r5c-5w66-47vv and GitHub Issue #479.

Workarounds

Disable or restrict ICC profile processing from untrusted sources until the patch can be applied
Implement file validation to reject ICC profiles with suspicious characteristics before processing
Deploy sandboxing or process isolation for applications that must process untrusted color profiles
Use application-level controls to strip embedded ICC profiles from untrusted image files

bash

# Configuration example
# Verify iccDEV version and update if vulnerable
# Check current version and update to patched release
git clone https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV.git
cd iccDEV
git checkout v2.3.1.2  # Use patched version
# Rebuild applications linking against iccDEV