Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-30978

Memory Safety in Color Iccdev ≤ 2.3.1.5

Published
10 March 2026
Modified
13 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0026 18th percentile
Risk Priority 56 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-30978 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Color Iccdev. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 18th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and IA-5 (Authenticator Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-30978 is a heap-use-after-free vulnerability in iccDEV, a set of libraries and tools for working with ICC color management profiles. The flaw occurs in the CIccCmm::AddXform() function in versions prior to 2.3.1.5, leading to an invalid vptr dereference and application crash. It is linked to CWEs-416 (Use After Free), CWE-672, and CWE-825, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

The vulnerability can be exploited by a local attacker with no privileges required, though it demands low-complexity attacks and user interaction. Successful exploitation enables high-impact effects on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, including potential denial of service through crashes and the possibility of broader code execution as indicated by the CVSS metrics.

Mitigation is available in iccDEV version 2.3.1.5, which addresses the heap-use-after-free issue. Security advisories recommend updating to this patched release. Key resources include the GitHub security advisory (GHSA-97mf-f6r7-q9q4), issue #612, pull request #616, and release notes for v2.3.1.5.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

iccDEV provides a set of libraries and tools for working with ICC color management profiles. Prior to 2.3.1.5, there is a heap-use-after-free in CIccCmm::AddXform() causing invalid vptr dereference and crash. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.3.1.5.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-21675Same product: Color Iccdev
CVE-2026-21486Same product: Color Iccdev
CVE-2026-53085Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2026-31703Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2026-12293Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2026-6754Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2026-45972Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2024-23310Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2026-52924Shared CWE-416, CWE-825
CVE-2026-4691Shared CWE-416, CWE-825

Affected Assets

color
iccdev
≤ 2.3.1.5

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 4 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.3

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Access enforcement applies current authorizations to every request, directly blocking operations once a resource has been revoked or released.

Authenticator management mandates revocation and replacement procedures that render expired credentials unusable.

Developer testing and evaluation can discover use-after-free bugs through dynamic analysis or fuzzing.

Account lifecycle management includes explicit revocation and disabling steps that stop subsequent operations on released accounts or identifiers.

Identifier management requires deallocation and reuse controls that prevent continued use of released identifiers.

Engineering principles can require memory-safe constructs or languages that structurally avoid introducing use-after-free.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

Enforcing managed authorizations and revocations directly prevents post-release operations on credentials or entitlements.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly incorporate memory-safety tooling and reviews that prevent most use-after-free defects.

ID.AM-08 partial match
prevents

Lifecycle management includes secure development and maintenance phases that reduce memory-safety defects.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover use-after-free issues via scanning or analysis but do not prevent their introduction.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching removes known use-after-free instances after they have been introduced in released software.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development can detect use-after-free bugs before release.

degrades

Enforces timely deletion of resources so they cannot be used after release.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates memory-safety practices that reduce use-after-free defects.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify memory-management rules that mitigate use-after-free.

prevents

Secure architecture principles include memory-safety design choices that limit use-after-free exposure.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe avoidance of use-after-free patterns.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
  • V-248592 OL 8 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
  • V-230279 RHEL 8 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
  • V-257794 RHEL 9 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416

References