CVE-2011-3951
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 · uneditedThe dpcm_decode_frame function in dpcm.c in libavcodec in FFmpeg before 0.10 and in Libav 0.5.x before 0.5.9, 0.6.x before 0.6.6, 0.7.x before 0.7.6, and 0.8.x before 0.8.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted stereo stream in a media file.
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 confidenceThe dpcm_decode_frame function in libavcodec's dpcm.c fails to properly validate or handle stereo stream data in DPCM-encoded media files, leading to a buffer overflow condition. A specially crafted stereo stream can trigger this vulnerability, causing denial of service via application crash and potentially enabling arbitrary code execution.
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<= 0.9.1= 0.7.1= 0.7.2= 0.7.7= 0.7.8= 0.7.9= 0.7.11= 0.7.12= 0.8.5= 0.8.6= 0.8.7= 0.8.8= 0.5= 0.5.1= 0.5.2= 0.5.3= 0.5.4= 0.5.5= 0.5.6= 0.5.7= 0.6= 0.6.1= 0.6.2= 0.6.3CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/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.
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Identify the installed FFmpeg or Libav versionRun 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to determine the exact version number of the library or utility installed in your environmentAffected if The version matches one of the affected versions: FFmpeg <= 0.9.1, or 0.7.1-0.7.12, or 0.8.5-0.8.8; or Libav 0.5.x through 0.6.3
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Confirm dpcm codec support is presentRun 'ffmpeg -codecs' or 'avconv -codecs' and search for DPCM entries in the list of supported audio codecsAffected if The dpcm decoder is listed as available, indicating the vulnerable code path could be invoked
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Check if processing DPCM-encoded stereo mediaInspect media files with 'ffprobe' or 'avprobe' and examine the audio stream properties: look for codec_name as 'dpcm' and channels greater than 1 (stereo)Affected if You are processing or hosting DPCM-encoded files with stereo audio tracks, which is the specific condition that triggers the vulnerability
Your environment is affected if you are running an affected FFmpeg or Libav version (0.5-0.9.1 range) and processing DPCM-encoded stereo media files with the vulnerable dpcm_decode_frame function code present.
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 dataUpgrade to FFmpeg 0.10 or later, or Libav versions 0.5.9, 0.6.6, 0.7.6, or 0.8.1 and above. Alternatively, apply the vendor-provided patches for the dpcm_decode_frame function to add proper stereo stream validation.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3951 — 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-2011-3951 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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