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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2013-0848

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-12-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.0 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
The decode_init function in libavcodec/huffyuv.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted width in huffyuv data with the predictor set to median and the colorspace set to YUV422P, which triggers an out-of-bounds array access.

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

FFmpeg's huffyuv decoder in versions before 1.1 contains an out-of-bounds array access vulnerability in the decode_init function. When processing huffyuv-encoded media with specific parameters (median predictor and YUV422P colorspace), a crafted width value causes the decoder to access memory outside allocated buffer bounds, potentially enabling remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later to obtain the patched huffyuv decoder. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, disable huffyuv codec support in affected deployments or implement input validation to reject media files with the vulnerable parameter combination.

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:<= 1.0= 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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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. Check installed FFmpeg version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'ffmpeg -i' and note the version number in the output
    Affected if Version is 0.3.x (0.3 through 0.3.4), 0.4.x (0.4.0, 0.4.2 through 0.4.6), or any version 1.0 or earlier
  2. Verify huffyuv decoder is available
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i huffyuv' or 'ffmpeg -encoders 2>/dev/null | grep -i huffyuv' to check if the huffyuv decoder is compiled in
    Affected if huffyuv decoder appears in the codec list (indicating the vulnerable code path exists)
  3. Inspect media files for median+YUV422P combination
    Use 'ffprobe -show_streams input.avi' on huffyuv-encoded files to examine the 'pix_fmt' (should be yuv422p) and predictor configuration
    Affected if Media file uses YUV422P colorspace with median predictor enabled, creating the vulnerable parameter combination
  4. Confirm decode_init is reachable
    Review ffmpeg build configuration with 'ffmpeg -build_config' or check libavcodec/huffyuv.c compilation; attempt to decode a crafted huffyuv sample with the vulnerable parameters
    Affected if The huffyuv decoder is enabled and accessible to process input media

A user is affected if FFmpeg version is 0.3.x, 0.4.0, 0.4.2-0.4.6, or 1.0/earlier AND the huffyuv decoder is available AND they process media using median predictor with YUV422P colorspace.

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 1.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later to obtain the patched huffyuv decoder. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, disable huffyuv codec support in affected deployments or implement input validation to reject media files with the vulnerable parameter combination.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg 1.1 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify the current FFmpeg version installed by running 'ffmpeg -version' or checking your application's dependency
  2. 2. Download FFmpeg version 1.1 or later from the official FFmpeg website (www.ffmpeg.org) or your distribution's package repository
  3. 3. For source compilation: download the source code for FFmpeg 1.1 or newer from git.videolan.org or FFmpeg's release archives
  4. 4. Compile and install the new version following standard build procedures (./configure, make, make install)
  5. 5. Verify the installation by running 'ffmpeg -version' to confirm the updated version
  6. 6. Test any applications or scripts that depend on FFmpeg to ensure compatibility with the new version
Caveat Minor API/behavior changes may exist between 0.3.x/1.0 and 1.1; test critical workflows after upgrade

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2013-0848 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