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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2013-0853

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 wavpack_decode_frame function in libavcodec/wavpack.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted WavPack data, which triggers an out-of-bounds array access, possibly due to an off-by-one error.

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

A vulnerability in FFmpeg's libavcodec/wavpack.c allows remote attackers to cause an out-of-bounds array access via crafted WavPack audio data through the wavpack_decode_frame function, likely due to an off-by-one error. The high CVSS score (9.3) indicates potential for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate to FFmpeg 1.1 or later which contains the patched bounds checking in the wavpack_decode_frame function; avoid processing untrusted WavPack files until patched.

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 if FFmpeg is installed
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1' to see if the command returns version information
    Affected if FFmpeg is not installed or not accessible in PATH, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Identify the installed FFmpeg version
    Parse the output from 'ffmpeg -version' to extract the version number (e.g., 0.8.5, 1.0, 1.1)
    Affected if The version is 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, or any version 1.0 or lower (the provided list shows all affected versions)
  3. Verify FFmpeg was compiled with WavPack support
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>&1 | grep -i wavpack' or 'ffmpeg -formats 2>&1 | grep -i wavpack' to check if the WavPack decoder is available
    Affected if WavPack support is compiled in AND the FFmpeg version is in the affected list, then the vulnerable code path exists in the build
  4. Check for active WavPack file processing
    Review any scripts, applications, or services that use FFmpeg to process audio files; look for inputs with .wv or .wavpack extensions, or examine running processes executing ffmpeg with audio input files
    Affected if FFmpeg is actively decoding WavPack audio files from untrusted or external sources while running a vulnerable version

The environment is affected only if FFmpeg is installed with a version matching 0.3.x, 0.4.x (excluding 0.4.1), or 1.0 or lower AND the WavPack decoder is enabled AND the system processes WavPack audio 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

Update to FFmpeg 1.1 or later which contains the patched bounds checking in the wavpack_decode_frame function; avoid processing untrusted WavPack files until patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg 1.1 or later (1.1 is the first version containing the fix)

  1. 1. Identify the current FFmpeg version by running 'ffmpeg -version'
  2. 2. If the installed version is <= 1.0 or any of 0.3, 0.3.1, 0.3.2, plan an upgrade
  3. 3. Obtain FFmpeg version 1.1 or later from the official ffmpeg.org website or your system's package manager
  4. 4. For source compilation: download the desired version from git.videolan.org or the releases page
  5. 5. For package managers: update your repository and install the newer version (e.g., 'apt-get update && apt-get install ffmpeg' on Debian)
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'ffmpeg -version'
  7. 7. Test that WavPack audio decoding works correctly with the new version

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2013-0853 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