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LibavApplication

CVE-2012-2802

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 ac3_decode_frame function in libavcodec/ac3dec.c in FFmpeg before 0.11 and Libav 0.8.x before 0.8.4 has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to the "number of output channels" and "out of array writes."

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the AC3 audio decoder (ac3_decode_frame function) where improper validation of the number of output channels allows out-of-bounds array writes. This could enable arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted AC3 audio streams.

MitigationUpgrade to FFmpeg 0.11+, Libav 0.8.4+, or later versions. If immediate patching is not possible, disable processing of untrusted AC3 audio files and implement input validation at the application layer.

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
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 the AC3 decoder library in use
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' (Libav fork) to determine whether FFmpeg or Libav is installed, or inspect any custom binary using 'strings <binary> | grep -i ffmpeg' or checking linked libraries with 'ldd <binary>'
    Affected if The output shows FFmpeg or Libav is present as the audio decoder library
  2. Determine the installed version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1 | head -1' or 'avconv -version 2>&1 | head -1' to capture the version string
    Affected if The version displayed matches one of the affected versions: FFmpeg 0.3.x, 0.4.x through 0.4.6, or <= 0.10.4; or Libav 0.8, 0.8.1, 0.8.2, or 0.8.3
  3. Confirm AC3 decoding capability is enabled
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i ac3' or 'avconv -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i ac3' to list supported audio codecs; check if 'ac3' decoder is listed as enabled (not disabled)
    Affected if The AC3 decoder is listed and available in the build, indicating the vulnerable code path could be reached
  4. Verify AC3 processing is actively used
    Inspect application logs, configuration, or usage patterns for instances where AC3 audio streams are being decoded; search code or config for '.ac3' file extensions or AC3 mime types
    Affected if The application or system processes AC3 audio files or streams, enabling the vulnerable code path

You are affected if FFmpeg <= 0.10.4 (any 0.3.x, 0.4.x, or 0.5-0.10 series), Libav 0.8.x, or any build using their AC3 decoder processes untrusted AC3 audio streams.

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 to FFmpeg 0.11+, Libav 0.8.4+, or later versions. If immediate patching is not possible, disable processing of untrusted AC3 audio files and implement input validation at the application layer.

Recommended fix High confidence

Libav 0.8.4+ or FFmpeg 0.11+ (depending on which library is in use)

  1. 1. Identify which library (FFmpeg or Libav) is in use in your system
  2. 2. For Libav: Upgrade to version 0.8.4 or later
  3. 3. For FFmpeg: Upgrade to version 0.11 or later
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade by checking the installed version with: ffmpeg -version or avconv -version
  5. 5. Test that audio decoding functionality still works correctly after the upgrade
Caveat Major version upgrades may introduce API changes; test any applications that depend on libavcodec/libavformat

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 / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2012-2802 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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