CVE-2013-0850
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 · uneditedThe decode_slice_header function in libavcodec/h264.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted H.264 data, 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 confidenceOut-of-bounds array access vulnerability in FFmpeg's H.264 decoder (decode_slice_header function in libavcodec/h264.c) allows remote code execution via crafted H.264 video streams. The vulnerability exists in versions before 1.1.
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<= 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= 0.4.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check FFmpeg versionRun `ffmpeg -version` in the command line or check the libavcodec library file version if FFmpeg is embedded as a libraryAffected if Version is 0.3.x, 0.4.x through 0.4.6, or 1.0.x and below (the decode_slice_header function in libavcodec/h264.c is vulnerable)
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Verify H.264 decoding capability is presentRun `ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i h264` or check if libavcodec is linked and includes h264 decoder supportAffected if The H.264 decoder (libavcodec) is available and loaded by the FFmpeg installation
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Confirm H.264 stream processing is in useIdentify if your application or system decodes H.264 video files or streams using FFmpegAffected if The vulnerable decode_slice_header function in libavcodec/h264.c is being invoked during H.264 stream decoding
You are affected if FFmpeg version is 1.0 or earlier AND the H.264 decoder is being used to process video streams.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later to obtain the patch for this vulnerability. For embedded systems or applications using FFmpeg as a library, recompile and redeploy with the updated library version.
FFmpeg 1.1 or later (current stable release recommended)
- Check current FFmpeg version by running: ffmpeg -version
- If version is earlier than 1.1, upgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later
- On Debian/Ubuntu: apt-get update && apt-get install ffmpeg
- On RHEL/CentOS: yum install ffmpeg
- Or compile from source using FFmpeg 1.1 or later from git.videolan.org
- Verify the fix by running ffmpeg -version and confirming the version is >= 1.1
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,568.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0850 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-0850 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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