Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical
CVE-2014-8543
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 · uneditedlibavcodec/mmvideo.c in FFmpeg before 2.4.2 does not consider all lines of HHV Intra blocks during validation of image height, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds access) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted MM video 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 confidenceThe vulnerability exists in libavcodec/mmvideo.c where image height validation fails to account for all lines in HHV Intra blocks during MM video parsing. This insufficient bounds checking allows processing of crafted MM video data to trigger out-of-bounds memory access, potentially leading to denial of service or 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
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 12.04<= 2.4.1= 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= 0.4.6CVSS 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
- 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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Check if FFmpeg or libav is installedRun 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to identify the installed multimedia frameworkAffected if No FFmpeg or libav is installed (not vulnerable because the component isn't present)
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Identify the exact version numberParse the output from the version command to get the full version string (e.g., 2.4.1, 0.3.4, 0.4.6)Affected if Version is 2.4.1 or earlier, or one of: 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
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Verify the MM video decoder component existsCheck for the presence of libavcodec/mmvideo.c in the installed package or list enabled decoders via 'ffmpeg -decoders' or 'avconv -decoders' looking for mmvideoAffected if The MM video decoder (mmvideo) is available in the installation
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Confirm MM video files are being processedReview logs, scripts, or application behavior for processing of .mm video files or MM video format contentAffected if The system processes MM video files from untrusted sources
The environment is affected if FFmpeg/libav is installed with a version matching the affected ranges AND the MM video decoder is available AND MM video files are being processed.
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 2.4.2 or later which includes proper validation of image height considering all lines of HHV Intra blocks. Until upgraded, avoid processing untrusted MM video files.
Fix this in Ubuntu Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-8543 — 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-2014-8543 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
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