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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2012-2774

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-09-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 0.10.4 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The ff_MPV_frame_start function in libavcodec/mpegvideo.c in FFmpeg before 0.11 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, related to starting "a frame outside SETUP state."

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 · moderate confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in FFmpeg's libavcodec/mpegvideo.c where the ff_MPV_frame_start function fails to validate proper state before starting an MPEG video frame, allowing a frame to be initiated outside the required SETUP state, leading to memory corruption and denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade to FFmpeg version 0.11 or later, which contains the fix for proper state validation in the MPEG video decoder.

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
FfmpegApplication
Affected:<= 0.10.4= 0.3= 0.3.1= 0.3.2= 0.3.3= 0.3.4= 0.4.0= 0.4.2= 0.4.3= 0.4.4= 0.4.5= 0.4.6

CVSS 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check FFmpeg installation version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' to display the installed FFmpeg version number
    Affected if Version is 0.3.x through 0.10.4, or any version <= 0.10.4 (including 0.3, 0.3.1, 0.3.2, 0.3.3, 0.3.4, 0.4.0, 0.4.2, 0.4.3, 0.4.4, 0.4.5, 0.4.6)
  2. Check libavcodec library version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1 | grep libavcodec' or check /usr/lib/libavcodec.so* version to identify the library version
    Affected if libavcodec version matches the affected FFmpeg version range 0.3 through 0.10.4
  3. Identify if MPEG video decoding is in use
    Inspect running processes or logs for ffmpeg/ffprobe commands processing .mpg, .mpeg, .m2v, or other MPEG video format inputs
    Affected if MPEG video files are being decoded using the affected libavcodec library
  4. Verify ff_MPV_frame_start function is reachable
    If using FFmpeg as a library, check the libavcodec/mpegvideo.c is compiled and the mpegvideo decoder is enabled in the build
    Affected if The mpegvideo decoder module is loaded and processes video frames

You are affected if your installed FFmpeg or libavcodec version falls within 0.3 through 0.10.4 and you decode MPEG video content.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 0.10.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to FFmpeg version 0.11 or later, which contains the fix for proper state validation in the MPEG video decoder.

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-2774 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
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