dbcve.org
LibavApplication

CVE-2012-2784

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-09-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 0.10.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Unspecified vulnerability in the decode_pic function in libavcodec/cavsdec.c in FFmpeg before 0.11, and Libav 0.7.x before 0.7.7 and 0.8.x before 0.8.4, has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to "width/height changing in CAVS," a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-2777.

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 · low confidence

A vulnerability exists in the decode_pic function within libavcodec/cavsdec.c in FFmpeg and Libav video codecs. The flaw relates to improper handling of width/height changes in the CAVS (Chinese AVS video) decoder, which could potentially allow remote code execution or denial of service. The specific exploitation mechanism is unspecified in the advisory.

MitigationUpdate FFmpeg to version 0.11 or later, or Libav to version 0.7.7/0.8.4 or later. Conduct a dependency audit to identify and rebuild any software incorporating the affected library versions.

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
LibavApplication
Affected:= 0.8= 0.8.1= 0.8.2= 0.8.3= 0.7= 0.7.1= 0.7.2= 0.7.3= 0.7.4= 0.7.5= 0.7.6
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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

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

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. Identify installed video codec library
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to determine if FFmpeg or Libav is installed and which one
    Affected if The output shows FFmpeg version <= 0.10.4, 0.3.x, 0.4.x, or Libav version 0.7.x or 0.8.x (specifically 0.7-0.7.6 or 0.8-0.8.3)
  2. Check libavcodec version directly
    Run 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1 | grep libavcodec' or 'avconv -version 2>&1 | grep libavcodec' to get the exact libavcodec version number
    Affected if The libavcodec version shown is any of: Libav 0.7 through 0.7.6, Libav 0.8 through 0.8.3, FFmpeg 0.3.x, FFmpeg 0.4.x through 0.4.6, or FFmpeg 0.10.4 or earlier
  3. Verify CAVS decoder availability
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i cavs' or 'avconv -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i cavs' to list whether the CAVS (Chinese AVS) decoder is compiled in
    Affected if The CAVS decoder appears in the codec list (it may show as 'CAVS' or 'avs' in the decoder list)
  4. Inspect linked library files
    Run 'ldd $(which ffmpeg 2>/dev/null)' or 'ldd $(which avconv 2>/dev/null)' to list linked libavcodec library and check its file path, then use 'ls -la' on that library file for version clues
    Affected if The linked libavcodec.so version corresponds to any affected version listed

A system is affected if it runs FFmpeg <= 0.10.4, 0.3.x, or 0.4.x, OR Libav 0.7.x/0.8.x, AND has the CAVS decoder enabled, and processes CAVS 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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 0.10.4
Interim mitigation

Update FFmpeg to version 0.11 or later, or Libav to version 0.7.7/0.8.4 or later. Conduct a dependency audit to identify and rebuild any software incorporating the affected library versions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FFmpeg 0.11+ or Libav 0.7.7+/0.8.4+

  1. 1. Identify which library (Libav or FFmpeg) is in use in your environment
  2. 2. Determine the currently installed version using: ffmpeg -version or avconv -version
  3. 3. For FFmpeg users: Upgrade to version 0.11 or later (e.g., 0.11, 0.11.1, or later stable releases)
  4. 4. For Libav users on 0.7.x branch: Upgrade to version 0.7.7 or later
  5. 5. For Libav users on 0.8.x branch: Upgrade to version 0.8.4 or later
  6. 6. Verify the vulnerability is resolved by checking the decode_pic function in libavcodec/cavsdec.c no longer contains the unspecified flaw
  7. 7. Test that video decoding functionality remains operational after the upgrade
Caveat Upgrading FFmpeg from 0.10.x to 0.11.x may introduce API/ABI changes; verify codec compatibility and rebuild any linked applications

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Libav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2784 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2012-2784 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data