CVE-2022-2121

Denial of service via DICOM NULL dereference

Published Jun 24, 2022 · Updated Nov 3, 2025

NULL pointer dereference in OFFIS DCMTK before 3.6.7 allows remote attackers to cause denial of service while processing DICOM files. The DICOM parser dereferences a null pointer when handling crafted input, but the public record does not identify a narrower function or component. Attackers able to submit DICOM files through a reachable DCMTK processing interface can interrupt the service; the published behavior describes denial of service rather than data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.76%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in OFFIS DCMTK before 3.6.7 allows remote attackers to cause denial of service while processing DICOM files. The DICOM parser dereferences a null pointer when handling crafted input, but the public record does not identify a narrower function or component. Attackers able to submit DICOM files through a reachable DCMTK processing interface can interrupt the service; the published behavior describes denial of service rather than data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-2121
Published
Jun 24, 2022
Updated
Nov 3, 2025
Vendor
OFFIS e.V.
Product
DCMTK
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499, T1203
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 24, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <3.6.7
  2. Affected versionversion=unspecified <3.6.7

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectoradjacent
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

OFFIS e.V. · DCMTKversion=0 <3.6.7; version=unspecified <3.6.7

Published CVSS scores

7.5ICS-CERTCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
3.3NVDAV:A/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
6.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectoradjacent
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Denial of Service
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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