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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2013-0849

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 roq_decode_init function in libavcodec/roqvideodec.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted (1) width or (2) height dimension that is not a multiple of sixteen in id RoQ video data.

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

The roq_decode_init function in FFmpeg's RoQ video decoder (libavcodec/roqvideodec.c) lacks proper validation that input width/height dimensions are multiples of sixteen. This allows crafted RoQ video files with invalid dimensions to trigger unspecified memory corruption, likely heap-based buffer overflows leading to remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to FFmpeg 1.1 or later which includes proper dimension validation. Additionally, implement input validation ensuring width and height are multiples of 16 before any memory allocation in the roq_decode_init function.

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. Identify installed FFmpeg version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or check the package version to determine the exact version number
    Affected if The version falls within <= 1.0, or any of 0.3.x (0.3 through 0.3.4), or 0.4.x (0.4.0, 0.4.2 through 0.4.6)
  2. Confirm RoQ decoder is available
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs' or 'ffprobe -codecs' and look for 'roq' in the list of supported video codecs
    Affected if The RoQ video decoder (roqvideo) is listed as available in the build
  3. Identify RoQ video file processing
    Inspect any application or service that processes video files and check if RoQ (.roq) files are being decoded, or examine logs for RoQ-related decoding activity
    Affected if RoQ video files are being processed by the affected FFmpeg version
  4. Check for custom FFmpeg builds
    If using a custom build, verify the libavcodec/roqvideodec.c source file and confirm whether dimension validation (multiples of 16) was added
    Affected if The build is based on an affected version and lacks the dimension validation patch

You are affected if you are running an affected FFmpeg version (0.3.x, 0.4.x, or <=1.0) that includes the RoQ decoder, and you are processing RoQ video files where the width or height is not a multiple of 16.

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 to FFmpeg 1.1 or later which includes proper dimension validation. Additionally, implement input validation ensuring width and height are multiples of 16 before any memory allocation in the roq_decode_init function.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg 1.1 or later (latest stable release recommended)

  1. 1. Identify the current FFmpeg version by running 'ffmpeg -version'
  2. 2. Download FFmpeg 1.1 or later from the official website (www.ffmpeg.org) or compile from source
  3. 3. For package managers: update to a version >= 1.1 (e.g., 'apt-get update && apt-get install ffmpeg' on Debian-based systems, or 'yum update ffmpeg' on RHEL-based systems)
  4. 4. If compiling from source, ensure libavcodec/roqvideodec.c is included in the build
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'ffmpeg -version' and confirming the version is >= 1.1
  6. 6. Test RoQ video decoding functionality to ensure the fix does not break legitimate use cases
Caveat FFmpeg 1.0 to 1.1 introduced some API and encoding changes; verify compatibility with any custom integrations or dependent applications

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,940
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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-2013-0849 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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