# CVE-2026-3650: Grassroots DICOM Missing release of memory after effective lifetime

> Attackers can cause denial of service in applications using GDCM by sending malformed DICOM files that trigger memory leaks and resource depletion.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 27 Mar 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-3650, GHSA-42p8-rv8p-8h4j, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-3650, openSUSE-SU-2026:11701-1

## What is CVE-2026-3650?

CVE-2026-3650 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Grassroots DICOM (GDCM), published on 26 Mar 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A memory leak exists in the Grassroots DICOM library (GDCM). The bug occurs when parsing malformed DICOM files with non-standard VR types in file meta information. The vulnerability leads to vast memory allocations and resource depletion, triggering a denial-of-service condition. A maliciously crafted file can fill the heap in a single read operation without properly releasing it.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-3650?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `insighttoolkit` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 5.4.7-1.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-3650?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-3650 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3650 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-3650 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-3650 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Grassroots DICOM (GDCM), published on 26 Mar 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3650 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Grassroots DICOM (GDCM). No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3650/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3650/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-3650
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-3650
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-3650

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3650/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.