CVE-2013-0854
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 mjpeg_decode_scan_progressive_ac function in libavcodec/mjpegdec.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted MJPEG 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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in FFmpeg's libavcodec mjpeg_decode_scan_progressive_ac function when decoding crafted progressive MJPEG data. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially achieve code execution via specially crafted MJPEG files or streams.
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 installed FFmpeg versionRun 'ffmpeg -version' or 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1' to display version informationAffected if The version displayed is 0.3.x, 0.4.x through 0.4.6, or 1.0.x or earlier (versions <=1.0 are affected)
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Verify libavcodec library versionRun 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1 | grep libavcodec' or check the shared library file with 'ldd $(which ffmpeg) | grep libavcodec' and examine the library fileAffected if The libavcodec library version matches the affected FFmpeg versions (0.3.x through 0.4.6, or <=1.0)
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Identify MJPEG processing componentsSearch for binaries or applications that link against libavcodec for MJPEG handling: 'ldconfig -p | grep libavcodec' and review any custom MJPEG decoders using this libraryAffected if libavcodec is present and actively used for decoding media files
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Inspect MJPEG decoding usageReview application logs, file processing patterns, or system services that handle MJPEG/progressive JPEG files. Check for ffmpeg commands or API calls processing .mjpeg, .jpg files with progressive formatAffected if Progressive MJPEG files are being decoded by the affected FFmpeg library
A system is affected if it runs any FFmpeg version 0.3.x through 0.4.6 or version 1.0 and earlier that decodes progressive MJPEG data using libavcodec.
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. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement input validation on MJPEG data before decoding and/or deploy the affected system behind a sandbox to limit blast radius.
FFmpeg 1.1 or later (preferably latest stable release)
- 1. Check current FFmpeg version using: ffmpeg -version
- 2. Upgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later. For Linux systems using package managers: apt-get update && apt-get install ffmpeg (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum install ffmpeg (RHEL/CentOS)
- 3. Alternatively, compile from source: obtain FFmpeg 1.1 or later from ffmpeg.org or git.videolan.org
- 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: ffmpeg -version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0854 — 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-2013-0854 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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