CVE-2013-0877
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 old_codec37 function in libavcodec/sanm.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.3 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted LucasArts Smush data that has a large size when decoded, related to 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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability exists in FFmpeg's libavcodec/sanm.c where the old_codec37 function fails to properly validate the size of LucasArts Smush animation data before performing array operations, leading to an out-of-bounds read/write. Attackers can exploit this by providing specially crafted Smush files with oversized decoded dimensions, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution.
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<= 1.1.2= 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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Determine FFmpeg versionRun 'ffmpeg -version' or check the libavcodec library version with 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1 | grep version' or inspect the shared library file version if embeddedAffected if The installed version is <= 1.1.2, or exactly 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, or 0.4.6
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Verify libavcodec with sanm decoder is presentCheck for libavcodec presence by running 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>&1 | grep -i sanm' or verify the library file exists in the system pathsAffected if The sanm (LucasArts Smush) decoder is available in the FFmpeg build
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Identify if Smush media processing is possibleCheck if FFmpeg can demux or decode .smush or related LucasArts animation formats by running 'ffmpeg -formats 2>&1 | grep -i smush' or attempting to probe a sample fileAffected if FFmpeg is configured to process Smush animation files, enabling the vulnerable code path in old_codec37 function in sanm.c
The environment is affected if FFmpeg version falls within the listed vulnerable versions AND the Smush animation decoder (sanm) is available and usable in the FFmpeg build.
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 to FFmpeg version 1.1.3 or later which contains the bounds-checking fix for this vulnerability in the sanm.c decoder.
FFmpeg 1.1.3 or later
- 1. Identify the current FFmpeg version installed using 'ffmpeg -version'
- 2. Download FFmpeg version 1.1.3 or a later stable release from the official FFmpeg website (www.ffmpeg.org) or compile from source
- 3. If using a package manager, update the package repository and upgrade FFmpeg to version 1.1.3 or later
- 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'ffmpeg -version' and confirming the version number is 1.1.3 or higher
- 5. Test that FFmpeg functions correctly with your workflows
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0877 — 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-2013-0877 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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