Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical
CVE-2015-6826
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 ff_rv34_decode_init_thread_copy function in libavcodec/rv34.c in FFmpeg before 2.7.2 does not initialize certain structure members, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid pointer access) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted (1) RV30 or (2) RV40 RealVideo 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 ff_rv34_decode_init_thread_copy function in libavcodec/rv34.c in FFmpeg before 2.7.2 fails to initialize certain structure members, leading to invalid pointer access when processing crafted RV30 or RV40 RealVideo streams. This uninitialized memory can be exploited remotely to cause denial of service or potentially achieve 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<= 2.7.1CVSS 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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Determine installed FFmpeg versionRun 'ffmpeg -version' or 'avconv -version' to see the exact version numberAffected if Version is 2.7.1 or earlier, or unknown/builtin version older than 2.7.2
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Check for RV30/RV40 decoder supportRun 'ffmpeg -decoders 2>/dev/null | grep -i rv3' or inspect the FFmpeg build configuration for rv34 decoder availabilityAffected if The rv34 decoder (RV30/RV40) is compiled into the binary or loaded as a module
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Identify if processing RealVideo streamsExamine any media files being decoded, or check active streams for .rv, .rm, or similar RealVideo container formatsAffected if The system is actively decoding or has recently decoded RV30 or RV40 encoded content
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Verify Ubuntu 12.04 base systemRun 'lsb_release -a' or check /etc/lsb-release to confirm the Ubuntu versionAffected if Running Ubuntu 12.04 with any FFmpeg package installed
A system is affected if FFmpeg version 2.7.1 or earlier is in use AND the rv34 decoder for RV30/RV40 is enabled or being used to process RealVideo streams.
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 2.7.2 or later, which contains the proper initialization of structure members in the rv34 decoder thread copy function.
Fix this in Ubuntu Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6826 — 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-2015-6826 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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