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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2013-0851

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_frame function in libavcodec/eamad.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted Electronic Arts Madcow video 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 confidence

Out-of-bounds array access vulnerability in FFmpeg's decode_frame function in libavcodec/eamad.c. The vulnerability is triggered by specially crafted Electronic Arts Madcow video files, leading to memory corruption and potential arbitrary code execution with high impact (CVSS 9.3).

MitigationUpgrade to FFmpeg 1.1 or later to obtain the patch fixing the out-of-bounds access in the EA Madcow video decoder. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict processing of untrusted EA Madcow video files.

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 'ffprobe -version' to display the version number
    Affected if Version is 0.3.x, 0.4.x, 0.5.x, 0.6.x, 0.7.x, 0.8.x, 0.9.x, 0.10.x, 0.11.x, or 1.0.x (versions <= 1.0)
  2. Check if EA Madcow decoder is available
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i madcow' or 'ffprobe -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep -i madcow' to list decoders containing 'madcow'
    Affected if The eamad decoder (EA Madcow Video) is listed as available (decoders are typically enabled by default)
  3. Identify active EA Madcow video processing
    Search for .mad files or inspect video file metadata using 'ffprobe <file>' to check for codec_name 'eamad' or 'ea_madcow'
    Affected if Processing or hosting EA Madcow video files (typically .mad extension) in the environment
  4. Verify libavcodec library version
    Check libavcodec version via 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1 | grep libavcodec' or by examining the shared library file 'ls -la /usr/lib/libavcodec.so*'
    Affected if Linked libavcodec version matches the affected FFmpeg version ranges

Environment is affected if running FFmpeg version 1.0 or earlier AND the EA Madcow (eamad) decoder is available and processing untrusted .mad video files.

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 to obtain the patch fixing the out-of-bounds access in the EA Madcow video decoder. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict processing of untrusted EA Madcow video files.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg 1.1 or later (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, or current stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current FFmpeg version installed by running 'ffmpeg -version' or checking your package manager
  2. 2. If using a package manager (apt, yum, dnf, brew, etc.), update to the latest available version: apt-get update && apt-get upgrade ffmpeg (or equivalent for your package manager)
  3. 3. For source installations, download FFmpeg 1.1 or later from the official source (ffmpeg.org/download.html or git repository)
  4. 4. Rebuild and reinstall FFmpeg from source if using static builds
  5. 5. Verify the new version is installed by running 'ffmpeg -version' and confirm it shows version 1.1 or later
  6. 6. Test that video decoding functionality works correctly with the new installation
Caveat Major version upgrades in FFmpeg may introduce API/ABI changes; verify that any dependent applications or custom code are compatible with FFmpeg 1.1+

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2013-0851 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
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