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Grassroots DicomApplication · Malaterre

CVE-2015-8396

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-01-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.6.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Integer overflow in the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function in MediaStorageAndFileFormat/gdcmImageRegionReader.cxx in Grassroots DICOM (aka GDCM) before 2.6.2 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted header dimensions in a DICOM image file, which triggers a buffer overflow.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

GDCM (Grassroots DICOM) before version 2.6.2 contains an integer overflow vulnerability in the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function in gdcmImageRegionReader.cxx. When parsing DICOM image files, the code fails to properly validate header dimensions, allowing an attacker to trigger an integer overflow that results in a buffer overflow. This enables arbitrary code execution via specially crafted DICOM files with malicious dimension values.

MitigationUpgrade GDCM to version 2.6.2 or later to obtain the patched code. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement strict input validation on DICOM header dimension fields before passing them to the ReadIntoBuffer function to prevent overflow conditions.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Grassroots DicomApplication
Affected:<= 2.6.0= 2.6.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify GDCM library version
    Query the installed GDCM library version using the system's package manager, library versioning tools, or by checking the library binary metadata (such as running 'gdcm-config --version' if available, or inspecting the shared library file properties)
    Affected if The installed version is 2.6.0 or 2.6.1 (versions 2.6.2 and later are patched)
  2. Locate gdcmImageRegionReader component
    Search for the gdcmImageRegionReader library or module in the installed GDCM package (look for files named gdcmImageRegionReader.* or the ImageRegionReader class implementation in the codebase)
    Affected if The vulnerable gdcmImageRegionReader.cxx component exists in the installation and the ReadIntoBuffer function is present
  3. Determine if DICOM file processing uses ImageRegionReader
    Inspect application code or workflows that process DICOM image files to identify if they invoke the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function (check for calls to ImageRegionReader methods when parsing DICOM files)
    Affected if Applications process DICOM files using the ImageRegionReader class and its ReadIntoBuffer method to parse image regions
  4. Check for user-supplied DICOM input
    Review the environment to determine whether untrusted or external DICOM files are being processed by GDCM (inspect file import paths, DICOM file upload features, or data ingestion pipelines)
    Affected if External or untrusted DICOM files with potentially crafted dimension headers are processed by the vulnerable GDCM code

You are affected if GDCM version 2.6.0 or 2.6.1 is installed AND DICOM files are processed using the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function, which can be triggered by specially crafted DICOM files with malicious dimension values in the header.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.6.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GDCM to version 2.6.2 or later to obtain the patched code. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement strict input validation on DICOM header dimension fields before passing them to the ReadIntoBuffer function to prevent overflow conditions.

Recommended fix High confidence

GDCM 2.6.2 or later

  1. Identify all systems and applications that use GDCM (Grassroots DICOM) library
  2. Check the currently installed GDCM version to confirm it is 2.6.0, 2.6.1, or earlier
  3. Obtain GDCM version 2.6.2 or later from the official source (sourceforge.net/projects/gdcm)
  4. Replace the vulnerable GDCM library files with the updated version
  5. Rebuild or recompile any applications that link against GDCM
  6. Restart any services or applications that use GDCM
  7. Verify the installed version is 2.6.2 or later using --version or similar command

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Grassroots Dicom Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-8396 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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