CVE-2026-27691 Overview
CVE-2026-27691 is an integer overflow vulnerability in iccDEV, a library and toolset for working with ICC color management profiles. The vulnerability exists in iccFromCube.cpp where signed integer overflow during multiplication triggers undefined behavior. This can potentially cause application crashes or incorrect ICC profile generation when processing crafted or unusually large cube inputs.
Critical Impact
Attackers with local access can exploit this integer overflow vulnerability to cause denial of service through application crashes or potentially corrupt ICC profile output, affecting color management workflows in affected systems.
Affected Products
- Color iccDEV versions up to and including 2.3.1.4
- Applications using iccDEV library for ICC profile processing
- Systems utilizing iccFromCube tool for cube file conversion
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-02-25 - CVE CVE-2026-27691 published to NVD
- 2026-02-26 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-27691
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified as CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound). The signed integer overflow occurs in the iccFromCube.cpp file during multiplication operations when processing cube input data. When an attacker provides a specially crafted cube file with large values, the multiplication of these values can exceed the maximum value that can be stored in a signed integer type, causing the result to wrap around to an unexpected negative or small positive value.
This undefined behavior in C++ can lead to unpredictable program execution, including crashes, memory corruption, or generation of malformed ICC profiles. Since the attack vector is local and requires user interaction with a malicious cube file, exploitation would typically involve social engineering to convince a user to process an attacker-controlled input file.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2026-27691 is insufficient bounds checking in the parse3DTable() function before performing multiplication operations on user-controlled input values. The code failed to validate that nGridPoints met minimum requirements before using it in calculations, allowing values less than 2 to be processed. This could lead to signed integer overflow during subsequent arithmetic operations, resulting in undefined behavior per the C++ standard.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local access where an attacker must craft a malicious cube file with carefully selected values that trigger integer overflow during the multiplication operations. When a user processes this file using the iccFromCube tool or applications built on the iccDEV library, the overflow occurs leading to undefined behavior. The most likely outcome is a denial of service through application crash, though incorrect ICC profile generation is also possible.
// Patch from IccProfLib/IccTagLut.cpp
// Source: https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/commit/43ae18dd69fc70190d3632a18a3af2f3da1e052a
// m_GridPoints[] is a fixed length of 16
if (m_nInput > 16)
return false;
+ if (nGridPoints < 2) // at least 2 required for interpolation to work
+ return false;
memset(m_GridPoints, nGridPoints, m_nInput);
return Init(&m_GridPoints[0], nMaxSize, nBytesPerPoint);
}
The fix adds proper bounds checking to ensure nGridPoints is at least 2 before proceeding with table parsing, preventing the integer overflow condition.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-27691
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes in applications using iccDEV library when processing cube files
- Malformed or corrupted ICC profile outputs from the iccFromCube tool
- Presence of unusually large or suspiciously crafted .cube files in processing directories
- Error logs indicating arithmetic overflow or undefined behavior in ICC profile generation workflows
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for application crashes in processes utilizing iccDEV library components
- Implement file integrity monitoring for ICC profile outputs to detect corruption
- Deploy endpoint detection rules for crash patterns associated with integer overflow exploitation
- Review system logs for repeated failures in color management workflows
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging for applications using iccDEV library to capture processing errors
- Configure crash dump collection for forensic analysis of potential exploitation attempts
- Monitor file system activity for cube files with anomalous characteristics (extremely large dimensions)
- Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized ICC processing tools from executing
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-27691
Immediate Actions Required
- Update iccDEV to a version containing commit 43ae18dd69fc70190d3632a18a3af2f3da1e052a or later
- Audit all applications and workflows that utilize iccDEV library for cube file processing
- Restrict access to cube file processing functionality to trusted users only
- Validate cube file sources before processing and avoid files from untrusted sources
Patch Information
The vulnerability is fixed in commit 43ae18dd69fc70190d3632a18a3af2f3da1e052a. The patch adds bounds checking to ensure nGridPoints is at least 2 before interpolation operations, preventing the signed integer overflow condition. The fix also includes the <climits> header in iccFromCube.cpp to support proper limit checking.
Additional details are available in:
Workarounds
- No known workarounds are available according to the vendor advisory
- As a defense-in-depth measure, validate cube file inputs before processing using custom validation scripts
- Restrict file system permissions to prevent untrusted users from placing cube files in processing directories
- Consider isolating ICC profile generation workflows in sandboxed environments to limit impact of potential crashes
# Verify iccDEV installation includes the security fix
# Check if the patched commit is present in your installation
cd /path/to/iccDEV
git log --oneline | grep 43ae18dd
# If using a release version, ensure version is newer than 2.3.1.4
# or contains the security patch
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
