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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2013-0857

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_ilbm function in libavcodec/iff.c in FFmpeg before 1.1 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted height value in IFF PBM/ILBM bitmap 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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in FFmpeg's IFF bitmap decoder (decode_frame_ilbm in libavcodec/iff.c) where a crafted height value in IFF PBM/ILBM bitmap data is not properly validated, allowing memory corruption and potentially remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later which contains the fix for proper height value validation in IFF decoding; alternatively, disable IFF format support in environments where this codec is not required.

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 check libavcodec version via 'ffprobe -version' or by inspecting the shared library
    Affected if Version is 0.3.x, 0.4.x, or 1.0.x (or any version <= 1.0) as listed in affected versions
  2. Verify libavcodec presence
    Check for libavcodec library file (libavcodec.so on Linux, avcodec.dll on Windows) or run 'ffmpeg -codecs' to list available codecs
    Affected if libavcodec is present and handles media decoding
  3. Confirm IFF decoder module is available
    Run 'ffmpeg -decoders | grep -i iff' or 'ffprobe -codecs | grep -i iff' to list IFF (ILBM/PBM) decoders
    Affected if IFF decoder (ilbm or pbm) appears in the list of available decoders, indicating IFF format support is compiled in
  4. Check for active IFF file processing
    Inspect logs, transcoding jobs, or monitoring tools for recent processing of .ilbm, .pbm, or IFF format files using the identified FFmpeg version
    Affected if IFF bitmap files are being decoded by the affected FFmpeg version; the vulnerability triggers when a crafted height value in IFF PBM/ILBM data is parsed

You are affected if your FFmpeg version is 0.3.x, 0.4.x, or <= 1.0 and the IFF bitmap decoder (ilbm/pbm) is enabled and processing IFF format 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 FFmpeg to version 1.1 or later which contains the fix for proper height value validation in IFF decoding; alternatively, disable IFF format support in environments where this codec is not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg 1.1 or later (preferably latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current FFmpeg version installed on your system using: ffmpeg -version
  2. 2. Remove or disable the vulnerable FFmpeg version (<=1.0 or 0.3.x series)
  3. 3. Install FFmpeg 1.1 or later. For most Linux distributions, use your package manager: apt-get install ffmpeg (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum install ffmpeg (RHEL/CentOS)
  4. 4. If your distribution's repository does not have FFmpeg >=1.1, consider building from source or using a third-party repository such as libav (note: some distributions renamed the package to avconv)
  5. 5. Verify the new version is installed: ffmpeg -version
  6. 6. Test that any critical video processing workflows still function correctly with the new version
Caveat Older FFmpeg versions may have different command-line options or API behavior; some legacy codecs or filters may have been deprecated or removed in newer versions, so test critical workflows after upgrading

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
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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-2013-0857 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