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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2013-0869

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-11-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.1.1 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 field_end function in libavcodec/h264.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.2 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted H.264 data, related to an SPS and slice mismatch and 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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in FFmpeg's H.264 decoder (libavcodec/h264.c) in the field_end function. The vulnerability is triggered by crafted H.264 data containing a mismatch between the Sequence Parameter Set (SPS) and slice header, leading to an out-of-bounds array access. This can allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1.2 or later to obtain the patched field_end function. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement input validation to reject H.264 streams with SPS/slice mismatches before passing them to the decoder.

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:<= 1.1.1= 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. Identify installed FFmpeg version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to display the version number. Check if the version matches or is lower than the affected versions (0.3 through 0.4.6, or 1.1.1 and below).
    Affected if The installed version is 1.1.1 or lower, or any of these: 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
  2. Confirm H.264 decoding is in use
    Identify if your application or command line uses FFmpeg to decode H.264 video streams. Check configuration files, scripts, or running processes that invoke FFmpeg/libavcodec with H.264 input (files with .h264, .mp4, .mkv extensions or network streams).
    Affected if FFmpeg is actively decoding H.264 content and the vulnerable h264.c decoder is being invoked
  3. Locate the vulnerable library file
    Locate libavcodec shared library (libavcodec.so on Linux, libavcodec.dylib on macOS, or libavcodec.dll on Windows) and verify its build date or version metadata matches the affected versions. On Linux, run 'ldd $(which ffmpeg)' or check '/usr/lib/libavcodec*' to find the linked library.
    Affected if The linked libavcodec library version corresponds to an affected FFmpeg version listed above

You are affected if your FFmpeg installation version is 1.1.1 or lower (including 0.3 through 0.4.6 series) and you decode H.264 video streams using the vulnerable libavcodec/h264.c decoder.

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 1.1.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1.2 or later to obtain the patched field_end function. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement input validation to reject H.264 streams with SPS/slice mismatches before passing them to the decoder.

Recommended fix High confidence

FFmpeg 1.1.2 or later (preferably latest stable release)

  1. 1. Check the current FFmpeg version by running 'ffmpeg -version'
  2. 2. Download FFmpeg 1.1.2 or later from the official FFmpeg website (www.ffmpeg.org) or compile from source
  3. 3. Install the upgraded version, replacing the vulnerable installation
  4. 4. Verify the fix by running 'ffmpeg -version' and confirming the version is 1.1.2 or higher
Caveat Security patch release - minimal expected breaking changes for typical usage, but review release notes if using advanced features

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,288.

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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-2013-0869 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