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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2012-2791

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
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the (1) decode_band_hdr function in indeo4.c and (2) ff_ivi_decode_blocks function in ivi_common.c in libavcodec/ in FFmpeg before 0.11, and Libav 0.7.x before 0.7.7 and 0.8.x before 0.8.5, have unknown impact and attack vectors, related to the "transform 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 · moderate confidence

Multiple vulnerabilities exist in FFmpeg and Libav's libavcodec library affecting video codec decoding. The decode_band_hdr function in indeo4.c (Indeo 4 codec) and ff_ivi_decode_blocks in ivi_common.c (IVI codec) contain unspecified issues related to transform size handling, likely allowing memory corruption during video frame decoding.

MitigationUpgrade FFmpeg to version 0.11 or later, or Libav to version 0.7.7+/0.8.5+. Applications using these library versions for video decoding are vulnerable until the library is patched.

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
LibavApplication
Affected:= 0.8= 0.8.1= 0.8.2= 0.8.3= 0.8.4= 0.7= 0.7.1= 0.7.2= 0.7.3= 0.7.4= 0.7.5= 0.7.6

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 library
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to determine if FFmpeg or Libav is installed. FFmpeg typically shows 'ffmpeg version', Libav shows 'avconv version'.
    Affected if The output shows either FFmpeg or Libav is present on the system.
  2. Get exact version number
    Parse the version string from the output of 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version'. Note the full version number (e.g., 0.10.4, 0.8.3, 0.7.5).
    Affected if A version number is displayed from the command output.
  3. Compare version to affected ranges
    Compare your installed version against: FFmpeg <= 0.10.4, 0.3.x, 0.4.0-0.4.6; Libav 0.7.x, 0.8.x. Note that version 0.3.x means 0.3 through 0.3.4 inclusive, and 0.4.x means 0.4.0 through 0.4.6.
    Affected if Your version falls within any of these ranges: FFmpeg 0.3.x, 0.4.0-0.4.6, <= 0.10.4; or Libav 0.7.x, 0.8.x.
  4. Check if vulnerable codecs are available
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i indeo' or 'avconv -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i indeo' to list Indeo codec support. Similarly check for IVI with 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i ivi'.
    Affected if The output shows indeo4 or ivi codec support (flags may include 'D' for decoding).

You are affected if your system has FFmpeg <= 0.10.4, any 0.3.x, or any 0.4.x version; or Libav 0.7.x or 0.8.x, AND the indeo4 or ivi video codecs are available for decoding.

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

Upgrade FFmpeg to version 0.11 or later, or Libav to version 0.7.7+/0.8.5+. Applications using these library versions for video decoding are vulnerable until the library is patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg >= 0.11, or Libav >= 0.7.7 / 0.8.5

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FFmpeg or Libav version using 'ffmpeg -version' or 'libavcodec version'
  2. 2. For FFmpeg users: Upgrade to version 0.11 or later (e.g., 0.11, 0.11.1, etc.)
  3. 3. For Libav users: If using 0.7.x branch, upgrade to 0.7.7 or later; if using 0.8.x branch, upgrade to 0.8.5 or later
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version number
  5. 5. Test that media encoding/decoding functionality still works as expected

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2012-2791 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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