CVE-2021-41690 : What You Need to Know
Learn about CVE-2021-41690, a vulnerability in DCMTK through 3.6.6 leading to memory leaks and potential DoS attacks. Discover impacted systems, exploitation details, and mitigation steps.
DCMTK through 3.6.6 has a memory handling vulnerability that can lead to a DoS attack due to improper memory allocation.
Understanding CVE-2021-41690
What is CVE-2021-41690?
DCMTK through version 3.6.6 does not manage memory deallocation correctly, resulting in a global memory leak when specific requests are sent to the dcmqrdb program.
The Impact of CVE-2021-41690
This vulnerability can be exploited by attackers to cause a denial of service (DoS) attack due to the memory leak.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-41690
Vulnerability Description
The malloced memory for storing file information is not properly freed, leading to a memory leak when certain requests are made to the dcmqrdb program.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Vendor: N/A
- Product: N/A
- Version: Up to 3.6.6
Exploitation Mechanism
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specific requests to the dcmqrdb program, causing a memory leak and enabling DoS attacks.
Mitigation and Prevention
Immediate Steps to Take
- Apply the latest patches provided by the vendor.
- Restrict network access to vulnerable systems.
- Monitor for any unusual memory consumption.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Conduct regular security audits and code reviews.
- Educate developers on secure coding practices.
- Implement intrusion detection systems to detect abnormal behavior.
Patching and Updates
Ensure timely patching of software to address the memory handling issue.