CVE-2026-24407: iccDEV ICC Profile DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2026-24407 Overview

CVE-2026-24407 is an improper input validation vulnerability affecting iccDEV, a library suite for interacting with, manipulating, and applying ICC color management profiles. The vulnerability exists in the icSigCalcOp() function where undefined behavior occurs when user-controllable input is unsafely incorporated into ICC profile data or other structured binary blobs.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation may allow an attacker to perform Denial of Service (DoS), manipulate data, bypass application logic, and achieve Code Execution on affected systems.

Affected Products

• iccDEV versions 2.3.1.1 and below
• Applications utilizing the iccDEV IccProfLib library for ICC profile processing
• Systems processing untrusted ICC color management profiles

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-24 - CVE CVE-2026-24407 published to NVD
• 2026-01-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24407

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the icSigCalcOp() function within the IccProfLib component of iccDEV. The root cause is improper input validation (CWE-20) when processing ICC profile calculator operator signatures. The enum type defining calculator operations lacks proper bounds checking, allowing undefined behavior when processing maliciously crafted ICC profiles.

ICC profiles are structured binary blobs used extensively in color management workflows across printing, photography, and display calibration applications. When a vulnerable application parses a specially crafted ICC profile containing malformed calculator operator data, the undefined behavior in icSigCalcOp() can be triggered.

The attack requires network access and user interaction—typically through opening a malicious ICC profile file or processing content containing embedded color profiles. While the attacker requires no special privileges, the victim must interact with the malicious content. The impact includes potential loss of availability through denial of service and integrity compromise through data manipulation or application logic bypass.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from the icSigCalcOp enum definition in IccProfLib/IccMpeCalc.h which lacked a null/invalid data operation value. Without proper bounds checking and a defined invalid state, the function could process out-of-range values leading to undefined behavior. This is a classic input validation failure (CWE-20) where the code trusted input data without proper sanitization.

Attack Vector

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious ICC color profile containing specially constructed calculator operator values. The attack scenario involves:

1. Creating an ICC profile with malformed icSigCalcOp enum values outside the expected range
2. Delivering the malicious profile to a target system via email attachment, web download, or document embedding
3. When the victim opens or processes the profile with an application using vulnerable iccDEV libraries, the undefined behavior is triggered
4. Depending on memory layout and application context, this can result in DoS, data manipulation, or code execution

  * Calculator operator signatures
  ************************************************************************/
 typedef enum {
+  // useful value that is not defined by the spec.
+  icSigNullDataOp                   = 0x00000000, /* not valid, used for data range */
+
   //Floating point constant operation
   icSigDataOp                       = 0x64617461,  /* 'data' */
   icSigPiOp                         = 0x70692020,  /* 'pi  ' */

Source: GitHub Commit

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24407

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or abnormal termination in applications processing ICC profiles
• Error logs showing invalid or malformed ICC profile data in color management operations
• Anomalous memory access patterns when ICC profile parsing functions are invoked
• Application behavior indicative of exploitation attempts targeting color management libraries

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for crashes in applications utilizing iccDEV libraries, particularly during ICC profile processing
• Implement file analysis rules to detect malformed ICC profiles with suspicious calculator operator values
• Deploy endpoint detection to identify exploitation attempts targeting icSigCalcOp() function behavior
• Review system logs for repeated failures in color management or profile parsing operations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for applications that process ICC color profiles
• Monitor process memory for signs of corruption or unexpected termination during profile operations
• Implement network traffic analysis to detect potentially malicious ICC profile delivery
• Configure alerting for unusual patterns in file processing involving .icc or .icm files

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24407

Immediate Actions Required

• Update iccDEV to version 2.3.1.2 or later which contains the security fix
• Audit applications in your environment that depend on iccDEV libraries and prioritize updates
• Restrict processing of ICC profiles from untrusted sources until patching is complete
• Implement input validation at application boundaries for ICC profile data

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been fixed in iccDEV version 2.3.1.2. The patch adds a icSigNullDataOp value (0x00000000) to the icSigCalcOp enum, providing a defined invalid state for proper bounds checking. Organizations should update to the patched version immediately by obtaining it from the official International Color Consortium repository. The security fix is available in commit 881802931a71c4b0dfc28bc80ee55b2cb84dab90.

For more details, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory and GitHub Issue Discussion.

Workarounds

• Disable or restrict ICC profile processing functionality until the patch can be applied
• Implement application-level input validation to sanitize ICC profile data before passing to iccDEV
• Use sandboxing or process isolation for applications that must process untrusted ICC profiles
• Block or quarantine ICC profile files (.icc, .icm) from untrusted sources at the network perimeter

# Configuration example
# Restrict ICC profile processing permissions (example for Linux systems)
# Limit read access to ICC profiles to trusted applications only
chmod 640 /path/to/icc/profiles/*.icc
chown root:colormanagement /path/to/icc/profiles/*.icc

# For systems using AppArmor, restrict profile file access
# Add to application profile:
# deny /tmp/**/*.icc r,
# deny /home/**/*.icc r,