CVE-2026-5437
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 out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in `DicomStreamReader` during DICOM meta-header parsing. When processing malformed metadata structures, the parser may read beyond the bounds of the allocated metadata buffer. Although this issue does not typically crash the server or expose data directly to the attacker, it reflects insufficient input validation in the parsing logic.
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 out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in DicomStreamReader's DICOM meta-header parsing logic. When processing malformed metadata structures, the parser reads beyond the allocated metadata buffer boundaries due to insufficient input validation. This memory safety issue could potentially allow disclosure of sensitive memory contents or cause undefined behavior.
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< 1.12.11CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Orthanc Server versionRun 'Orthanc --version' or check the software's about/version information to determine the installed version numberAffected if The installed version is lower than 1.12.11 (e.g., 1.12.10, 1.12.0, earlier releases)
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Confirm DICOM ingestion is enabledReview Orthanc configuration files (orthanc.json) for enabled modalities and DICOM storage paths, or check if the application is actively receiving or processing DICOM filesAffected if Orthanc is configured to accept and parse incoming DICOM studies or is actively processing DICOM files
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Verify DicomStreamReader is in useCheck Orthanc logs for DICOM parsing activity, or monitor network ports (typically 4242 for DICOM) for incoming connectionsAffected if The server is actively accepting DICOM connections or parsing DICOM metadata from incoming files
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Inspect DICOM processing behaviorReview Orthanc storage directory for recent DICOM files that have been processed, or check application logs for DICOM meta-header parsing operationsAffected if Orthanc is processing DICOM files and the DicomStreamReader component handles the meta-header parsing
You are affected if Orthanc Server version is below 1.12.11 and the server processes DICOM files containing meta-header data through the DicomStreamReader component.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.12.11
Implement proper bounds checking in the DicomStreamReader meta-header parsing code to validate metadata structure sizes against allocated buffer space before reading. Update to a patched version if available, or add input validation routines to reject malformed DICOM files.
1.12.11
- Identify the current Orthanc version in use
- Plan maintenance window for the upgrade
- Download Orthanc version 1.12.11 or later from the official source (www.orthanc-server.com)
- Backup the current Orthanc configuration and any persistent data
- Stop the Orthanc service
- Install version 1.12.11
- Verify the installation was successful
- Restart the Orthanc service
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-5437 — 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-2026-5437 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
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