CVE-2026-21494
📋 TL;DR
A heap buffer overflow vulnerability in iccDEV library's CIccTagLut8::Validate() function allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by processing malicious ICC color profiles. This affects any application using iccDEV library versions before 2.3.1.2 for color management operations. Users who process untrusted ICC profiles are particularly at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- iccDEV library
- Applications using iccDEV for ICC profile processing
📦 What is this software?
Iccdev by Color
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption leading to instability
If Mitigated
Contained application crash with no privilege escalation if proper sandboxing exists
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting malicious ICC profiles and getting them processed by vulnerable applications
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.3.1.2
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/security/advisories/GHSA-hjxv-xr7w-84fc
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update iccDEV library to version 2.3.1.2 or later. 2. Rebuild any applications using iccDEV. 3. Restart affected services or applications.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
No known workarounds
allThe vendor advisory states no workarounds are available
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict processing of untrusted ICC profiles
- Implement application sandboxing to limit impact of potential exploitation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if applications use iccDEV library version < 2.3.1.2Check Version:
Check library version in application dependencies or use package manager (e.g., dpkg -l | grep iccdev)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify iccDEV library version is 2.3.1.2 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing ICC profiles
- Memory access violation errors
- Segmentation faults in color management functions
Network Indicators:
- Unusual ICC profile uploads to web applications
- Suspicious file transfers containing .icc/.icm files
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "access violation") AND process="*color*" OR "*icc*"🔗 References
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/commit/7c2cb719a9de1c00844e457e070d657314383ee3
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/commit/e91fe722ac54ce497d410153e7405090e0565d7b
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/issues/398
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/security/advisories/GHSA-hjxv-xr7w-84fc
