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LibavApplication

CVE-2012-2803

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
Double free vulnerability in the mpeg_decode_frame function in libavcodec/mpeg12.c in FFmpeg before 0.11, and Libav 0.7.x before 0.7.7 and 0.8.x before 0.8.5, has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to resetting the data size value.

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 confidence

Double free vulnerability in the mpeg_decode_frame function in libavcodec/mpeg12.c allows memory corruption during MPEG video frame decoding. The vulnerability stems from improper handling when resetting the data size value, potentially leading to heap corruption and remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to FFmpeg 0.11 or later, or Libav 0.7.7/0.8.5 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, consider restricting processing of untrusted MPEG streams until the patch can be applied.

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= 0.8.4= 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 library
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to determine if FFmpeg or Libav is installed on the system
    Affected if The command returns a version number matching FFmpeg or Libav
  2. Check FFmpeg version
    If FFmpeg is present, compare the version output (such as 0.10.4, 0.4.x, or 0.3.x) against the affected FFmpeg versions: <= 0.10.4, 0.3 through 0.3.4, 0.4.0, 0.4.2 through 0.4.6
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these affected ranges
  3. Check Libav version
    If Libav is present, compare the version output (such as 0.8.x or 0.7.x) against the affected Libav versions: 0.8 through 0.8.4, or 0.7 through 0.7.6
    Affected if The installed version falls within either of these affected ranges
  4. Verify mpeg12 decoder presence
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs' or 'avconv -codecs' and search for mpeg12 in the output to confirm the MPEG video decoder module is available
    Affected if The mpeg12 decoder is listed as available (the vulnerability only applies when this decoder is present and used)

The environment is affected if FFmpeg <= 0.10.4, 0.3.x-0.3.4, 0.4.x (except 0.4.1), or Libav 0.7.x-0.8.4 is installed AND the mpeg12 decoder module is available for processing video 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 or later, or Libav 0.7.7/0.8.5 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, consider restricting processing of untrusted MPEG streams until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Libav 0.8.5+/0.7.7+ or FFmpeg 0.11+

  1. 1. Identify which affected library (Libav or FFmpeg) is in use in your system
  2. 2. For Libav users: Upgrade to version 0.8.5 or later (or 0.7.7 if using the 0.7.x branch)
  3. 3. For FFmpeg users: Upgrade to version 0.11 or later
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify the library version matches the fixed release using: 'avconv -version' or 'ffmpeg -version'
  5. 5. Test any video processing workflows that handle MPEG content to ensure functionality is maintained
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 0.10 to 0.11) may introduce API changes affecting custom code that links against the library; recompile dependent applications

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

Fix this in Libav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,440
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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-2012-2803 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