CVE-2007-4974
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in the flac_buffer_copy function in libsndfile 1.0.17 and earlier might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a FLAC file with crafted PCM data containing a block with a size that exceeds the previous block size.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in libsndfile's flac_buffer_copy function allows remote code execution by processing a specially crafted FLAC file where a PCM data block size exceeds the previous block size, causing the heap buffer to overflow.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 1.0.17= 0.0.8= 0.0.28= 1.0.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.10= 1.0.11= 1.0.12= 1.0.13= 1.0.14= 1.0.15= 1.0.16CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify libsndfile installationRun 'sndfile-config --version' or check package manager for libsndfile package (dpkg -l libsndfile, rpm -q libsndfile, brew list libsndfile)Affected if Package is installed and version matches <= 1.0.17, or equals 0.0.8, 0.0.28, 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.10, 1.0.11, 1.0.12, 1.0.13, 1.0.14, 1.0.15, or 1.0.16
-
Find linked library versionRun 'ldd /path/to/application | grep libsndfile' or 'ldconfig -p | grep libsndfile' to see which version is loaded at runtimeAffected if Loaded library version is in the affected list
-
Check for FLAC processing capabilityRun 'file your_audio_file.flac' or verify the application using libsndfile can decode FLAC format (check supported formats via sndfile-config --format)Affected if FLAC decoding is supported and enabled
-
Identify applications using libsndfileRun 'ldconfig -p | grep libsndfile' to list applications linked against the library, or check audio/media applications on the systemAffected if Applications that process FLAC files are in use
-
Assess FLAC file sourceReview logs or audit configuration to determine if the system processes FLAC files from untrusted or external sourcesAffected if Untrusted FLAC files can be processed by any application using the vulnerable libsndfile version
The system is affected if libsndfile version 1.0.17 or lower (including the specific versions 0.0.8, 0.0.28, 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.10-1.0.16) is installed and processes FLAC files from untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate libsndfile to a version newer than 1.0.17; avoid processing untrusted FLAC files until the update is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-4974 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-4974 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data