CVE-2026-52868
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 · uneditedAn unauthenticated attacker can read worklist records from a directory outside the intended per-AE worklist storage area. In a multi-area deployment, this can cross departmental or clinic data separation.
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 · moderate confidenceAn unauthenticated attacker can exploit a path traversal vulnerability in DICOM worklist storage to read worklist records from directories outside the intended per-Application Entity (AE) storage area, allowing cross-departmental or cross-clinic data access in multi-area deployments.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify DICOM worklist storage configurationLocate the DICOM configuration file (commonly dcmtk.ini, dcmqrscp.cfg, or similar) and search for worklist-related settings (wlmscp, worklist, StorageArea keywords)Affected if Worklist storage is configured and enabled
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Verify per-AE storage path settingsExamine the worklist storage path configuration for each Application Entity (AE) title - check for StorageArea or related path directivesAffected if Multiple AE titles are configured with separate storage directories
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Check for path validation settingsInspect configuration for path canonicalization or validation settings that restrict file access to the designated storage areaAffected if Path validation is absent or disabled in the worklist configuration
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Review authentication settings for worklist queriesCheck if authentication is required for worklist queries in the DICOM service configurationAffected if Authentication is disabled or optional for worklist operations
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Determine DICOM software versionRun the DICOM service executable with version flag (e.g., dcmqrscp -v, dcmwlmscp -v) or check installed package versionAffected if Installed version falls within vulnerable version range or is unknown/unpatched
A system is affected if DICOM worklist storage is enabled, the configuration allows access to directories outside the per-AE storage area, and the installed version is unpatched for this path traversal vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataImplement strict path canonicalization and validation to ensure all worklist file access is confined to the designated per-AE storage directory, combined with enforcing authentication for worklist queries.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-52868 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-52868 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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