CVE-2014-5271
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in the encode_slice function in libavcodec/proresenc_kostya.c in FFMpeg before 1.1.14, 1.2.x before 1.2.8, 2.x before 2.2.7, and 2.3.x before 2.3.3 and Libav before 10.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in the encode_slice function in libavcodec/proresenc_kostya.c allows remote attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code via crafted media files. The vulnerability affects multiple FFMpeg and Libav versions prior to the patched releases.
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<= 1.1.13= 1.1= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 1.1.6= 1.1.7= 1.1.8= 1.1.9= 1.1.10<= 10.4= 0.5= 0.5.1= 0.5.2= 0.5.3= 0.5.4= 0.5.5= 0.5.6= 0.5.7= 0.5.8= 0.6= 0.6.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Identify installed media frameworkRun 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to determine if Ffmpeg or Libav is presentAffected if Either utility returns a version number showing the software is installed
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Check Ffmpeg versionRun 'ffmpeg -version' and note the release version (e.g., 1.1.5, 1.2.1)Affected if Version is 1.1 through 1.1.10, or 1.1.13 or earlier, indicating an unpatched release
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Check Libav versionRun 'avconv -version' and note the release version (e.g., 0.6.1, 10.4)Affected if Version is 0.5.x through 0.6.1, or 10.4 or earlier, indicating an unpatched release
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Verify ProRes encoder presenceRun 'ffmpeg -encoders 2>/dev/null | grep -i prores' or 'avconv -encoders 2>/dev/null | grep -i prores'Affected if The prores_kostya encoder is listed, indicating the vulnerable code path exists
Your environment is affected if Ffmpeg <=1.1.13 or Libav <=10.4 is installed with the ProRes encoder available, and you process or decode crafted media files using the ProRes encoder.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade FFMpeg to version 1.1.14, 1.2.8, 2.2.7, or 2.3.3+ (as applicable), or Libav to version 10.5+. Alternatively, disable ProRes encoding support if not required.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-5271 — 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-2014-5271 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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