Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-21499 is a denial-of-service flaw in iccDEV’s XML parser. If a vulnerable local workflow processes a specially crafted XML-based ICC profile, the parser can crash because it dereferences a NULL pointer. The published impact is availability only, not data theft or system takeover.
Executive priority
Treat this as a routine but time-bound availability fix. Prioritize environments where color profile processing is automated or accepts external files. It is not currently documented as exploited, and the cited impact is crash-level denial of service rather than compromise.
Technical view
InternationalColorConsortium iccDEV versions before 2.3.1.2 are affected. The issue is described as improper input handling leading to unchecked NULL pointer use in the XML parser, mapped to CWE-20, CWE-476, and CWE-690. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where iccDEV libraries or tools parse XML ICC profile content from users, files, pipelines, or automated conversion workflows. Systems not using iccDEV, or not parsing untrusted XML profile content, are unlikely to be affected.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and KEV is false. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction per CVSS, meaning a vulnerable application or workflow must be induced to process malicious input. The expected result is a crash or service interruption.
Researcher notes
Public references include the GitHub advisory, issue, pull request, commits, and a relevant source location. The provided evidence supports a NULL pointer dereference in XML parsing before 2.3.1.2. Avoid assuming remote reachability unless a specific consuming application exposes iccDEV parsing to remote input.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade iccDEV to version 2.3.1.2 or later.
- Review vendor advisory and linked commits for exact remediation details.
- Restrict processing of untrusted XML ICC profile files until upgraded.
- Identify downstream products or internal tools that bundle iccDEV.
Validation and detection
- Inventory iccDEV versions in source, packages, containers, and build artifacts.
- Confirm affected deployments are below version 2.3.1.2.
- Check whether XML ICC profile parsing is enabled or exposed to user-supplied files.
- After upgrade, verify deployed binaries report or include version 2.3.1.2 or later.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-20: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-690: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-21499 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/security/advisories/GHSA-c3pv-2cpf-7v2pCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/issues/372CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/pull/412CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/commit/00c03013e11b35ddbd7caae4368d1add185849d9CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/commit/af299895bbcbecca6f67d6dc3d8e1dc92f1fc3faCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/InternationalColorConsortium/iccDEV/blob/8e71f0a701abcbd554725ba7b70258203e682a61/IccXML/IccLibXML/IccProfileXml.cpp#L477CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.