# CVE-2026-52868: OFFIS DCMTK Toolkit Path Traversal

> An unauthenticated attacker can read worklist records from outside the intended storage area, potentially exposing cross-departmental data.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/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:** 30 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 1 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-52868, GHSA-998c-fcv7-9f2w, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-52868

## What is CVE-2026-52868?

CVE-2026-52868 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in OFFIS DICOM DCMTK Toolkit, published on 30 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An unauthenticated attacker can read worklist records from a directory outside the intended per-AE worklist storage area. In a multi-area deployment, this can cross departmental or clinic data separation.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-52868?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-52868?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-52868 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-52868 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-52868 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-52868 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in OFFIS DICOM DCMTK Toolkit, published on 30 Jun 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-2026-52868 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: OFFIS DICOM DCMTK Toolkit. 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-2026-52868/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52868/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-52868
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-52868
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-52868

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52868/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.