CVE-2025-48429 is a high severity out-of-bounds read (CVSS 7.4) in Grassroots DICOM (GDCM) 3.024. A specially crafted DICOM file can make RLECodec::DecodeByStreams leak heap data. The record names no fixed version, so check the project and your distribution for an update and avoid untrusted files.
What's affected
Per the CVE record, Grassroots DICOM version 3.024 is affected. The weakness is in the RLECodec::DecodeByStreams function, which decodes run-length encoded image data. A crafted DICOM file can trigger an out-of-bounds read that leaks heap data.
The record is filed under CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer), CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read). The only reference is a Talos vulnerability report, TALOS-2025-2214. We could not open that page to read the vendor status, so the record is our only source here. No fixed version is named.
The base vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The attack vector is local, which fits a flaw that is triggered by opening a file, and the complexity is high. The record's description speaks only of leaking heap data, so read the vector as the scorer's overall assessment and not as a description of a specific outcome.
DICOM is the standard format for medical images, and GDCM is a library that other software includes. That second point is the one most teams need to chase.
How to check if you're exposed
Find out whether GDCM is on your systems directly or inside another product. On a Linux host:
dpkg -l | grep -i gdcm
rpm -qa | grep -i gdcm
Only the command for your distribution will apply. Then look at dependency files and lock files in your own code for GDCM or for packages that wrap it, and in container images for bundled libraries. Imaging viewers, research pipelines and PACS tools may include it.
If you find 3.024, check the GDCM project and your distribution security tracker for a fixed release, and read the Talos report for the disclosure timeline.
Finally, map where DICOM files enter your systems from outside. Files from other institutions, from patients on media, or from uploads are the untrusted ones. You can also run a free in-browser dependency scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan to see which of your projects pull in the affected component.
What to do now
- Check the GDCM project page and your distribution security tracker for a release that addresses CVE-2025-48429, and update when one is available.
- Rebuild applications and images that bundle or statically link GDCM once a fixed version exists.
- Treat DICOM files from outside your organisation as untrusted, and process them in a low privilege or isolated environment where you can.
- Keep imaging workstations and processing servers separate from the networks that hold other sensitive systems.
- If your product is regulated, tell your quality and compliance contacts, so the vulnerability is tracked in your records.
- Re-scan your projects and images after updating to confirm no 3.024 copy remains.
Why it matters
An out-of-bounds read means the program reads memory beyond the buffer it was given. It does not write, so it does not directly change anything. What it can do is return the contents of nearby memory, which may include data from other parts of the program. In an image decoder, the sizes that drive the read come from the file, so a crafted file can push the decoder past its limits.
The class is out-of-bounds read. The usual fix is to check each length from the file against the real buffer size before copying. Decoders for older formats like run-length encoding often have this kind of gap because they were written for trusted files.
It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and the record does not report exploitation in the wild. Medical imaging software handles sensitive data, so even a leak of a small piece of memory is a reason to update when a fix is available.
Quick check
Is there a fixed version of Grassroots DICOM?
The record does not name one and we could not read the vendor report. Check the project and your distribution for an update.
Can this be exploited remotely?
The vector is local: a crafted file has to be opened by software that uses the library. Remote delivery depends on how files reach that software.
Sources
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026.
