Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-5441 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Orthanc-Server Orthanc. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 3th 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 SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-8 (Security and Privacy Engineering Principles) — 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-2026-5441 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the `DecodePsmctRle1` function of `DicomImageDecoder.cpp`. It affects the `PMSCT_RLE1` decompression routine, which handles the proprietary Philips Compression format in DICOM images. The issue arises because the decoder does not properly validate escape markers near the end of the compressed data stream, enabling a crafted sequence to trigger reads beyond the allocated memory buffer and leak heap data into the rendered image output. Published on 2026-04-09, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H) and maps to CWE-125.
Exploitation requires local access with low complexity and no privileges, but depends on user interaction, such as opening a malicious DICOM file in an affected application. An unprivileged attacker could trick a user into processing a specially crafted image, achieving high confidentiality impact through heap memory disclosure visible in the output image and high availability impact, potentially via application crash or denial of service.
Advisories with mitigation guidance, including patches, are available from CERT at https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/536588, Machine Spirits at https://www.machinespirits.de/, and Orthanc at https://www.orthanc-server.com/.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-20918
Vulnerability Data
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the `DecodePsmctRle1` function of `DicomImageDecoder.cpp`. The `PMSCT_RLE1` decompression routine, which decodes the proprietary Philips Compression format, does not properly validate escape markers placed near the end of the compressed data stream. A crafted sequence…
more
at the end of the buffer can cause the decoder to read beyond the allocated memory region and leak heap data into the rendered image output.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation directly finds out-of-bounds read flaws through static analysis, fuzzing, and dynamic bounds checks.
Secure engineering principles require bounds checking and memory-safe constructs that stop out-of-bounds reads from being introduced.
Process isolation confines the effects of an out-of-bounds read to the compromised process.
Input validation rejects malformed indices or lengths that would otherwise cause reads outside buffer bounds.
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.
Secure-development practices such as bounds checking and memory-safe languages directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover instances of out-of-bounds reads after code is deployed.
Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing out-of-bounds read flaws.
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.
Security testing in development and acceptance includes fuzzing and static analysis that detect out-of-bounds read defects before release.
Logging can record evidence of an out-of-bounds read but does not prevent the weakness itself.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and bounds checking that directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.
Application security requirements include explicit bounds and memory-safety specifications that mitigate buffer over-reads.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require memory-safe design patterns and runtime protections against out-of-bounds access.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe pointer arithmetic and mandate bounds-checked reads, eliminating CWE-125.