CVE-2026-30980: iccDEV Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2026-30980 Overview

A stack overflow vulnerability exists in iccDEV, a set of libraries and tools for working with ICC color management profiles. Prior to version 2.3.1.5, there is a stack overflow in CIccBasicStructFactory::CreateStruct() causing uncontrolled recursion and stack exhaustion, which leads to application crash. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a denial of service condition by providing maliciously crafted ICC profile data that triggers excessive recursive calls.

Critical Impact
Applications using vulnerable versions of iccDEV can be crashed through maliciously crafted ICC color profiles, causing denial of service conditions in image processing workflows.

Affected Products

iccDEV versions prior to 2.3.1.5
Applications and systems utilizing iccDEV libraries for ICC color management
Image processing pipelines that parse untrusted ICC profile data

Discovery Timeline

2026-03-10 - CVE-2026-30980 published to NVD
2026-03-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-30980

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow), specifically manifesting as uncontrolled recursion leading to stack exhaustion. The vulnerable function CIccBasicStructFactory::CreateStruct() fails to properly limit recursion depth when processing nested structures within ICC color profiles. When a specially crafted ICC profile containing deeply nested or circular structure references is processed, the function recursively calls itself without adequate termination conditions, eventually exhausting the available stack space and causing the application to crash.

The local attack vector requires user interaction, as the victim must open or process a malicious ICC profile file. This is a common scenario in image editing applications, print workflows, and document processing systems where ICC profiles are embedded or referenced.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient recursion depth checking in the CIccBasicStructFactory::CreateStruct() function. When parsing ICC profile structures, the function processes nested elements by calling itself recursively. Without proper bounds checking on the recursion depth, maliciously crafted profiles with deep nesting or circular references can trigger unbounded recursive calls, leading to stack exhaustion.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access and user interaction. An attacker must convince a user to open a malicious file containing a crafted ICC color profile. This could be delivered through:

Malicious image files with embedded ICC profiles (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, etc.)
Standalone ICC profile files (.icc, .icm extensions)
Documents containing embedded color management data
Email attachments or web downloads targeting users of image processing software

The vulnerability results in a denial of service (crash) rather than code execution, as the stack overflow leads to exhaustion rather than controlled memory corruption.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-30980

Indicators of Compromise

Application crashes when processing specific ICC profile files
Stack overflow error messages in application or system logs
Unexpected termination of image processing or color management services
Repeated crash patterns associated with ICC profile operations

Detection Strategies

Monitor for unusual application crashes in software that processes ICC profiles
Implement file integrity monitoring on systems handling color management workflows
Use application crash analysis tools to identify stack exhaustion patterns
Review crash dumps for CIccBasicStructFactory::CreateStruct() in the call stack

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable crash reporting and aggregation for applications using iccDEV libraries
Monitor system logs for stack overflow or segmentation fault events
Track application stability metrics for color management workflows
Implement file scanning for suspicious ICC profile characteristics

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-30980

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade iccDEV to version 2.3.1.5 or later immediately
Audit systems and applications for iccDEV library usage
Restrict processing of ICC profiles from untrusted sources
Implement input validation for ICC profile files in affected workflows

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been fixed in iccDEV version 2.3.1.5. The fix was implemented via Pull Request #630 and released in version 2.3.1.5. For additional details, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-w478-77q7-2hc2 and Issue #629.

Workarounds

Avoid processing ICC profiles from untrusted or unknown sources
Implement stack size limits and monitoring at the application level
Consider sandboxing ICC profile processing in isolated environments
Use file validation tools to inspect ICC profiles before processing

bash

# Verify installed iccDEV version and upgrade if necessary
# Check current version
iccDumpProfile --version

# Update to patched version via package manager or source
git clone https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV.git
cd iccDEV
git checkout v2.3.1.5
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make && make install