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Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical

CVE-2015-8365

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-11-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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 smka_decode_frame function in libavcodec/smacker.c in FFmpeg before 2.6.5, 2.7.x before 2.7.3, and 2.8.x through 2.8.2 does not verify that the data size is consistent with the number of channels, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds array access) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted Smacker 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 confidence

The smka_decode_frame function in FFmpeg's libavcodec/smacker.c lacks validation that the data size is consistent with the declared number of channels. This allows crafted Smacker audio files to trigger out-of-bounds array access, causing denial of service or potentially other unspecified impact.

MitigationUpdate FFmpeg to version 2.6.5, 2.7.3, 2.8.3 or later. If updating is not feasible, avoid processing untrusted Smacker media files with vulnerable FFmpeg installations.

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
Affected:= 12.04
FfmpegApplication
Affected:= 2.6.4= 2.7.0= 2.7.1= 2.7.2= 2.8.0= 2.8.1= 2.8.2

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
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed FFmpeg version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' or 'ffmpeg -version 2>&1' to display the version information
    Affected if The version shown is 2.6.4, 2.7.0, 2.7.1, 2.7.2, 2.8.0, 2.8.1, or 2.8.2
  2. Verify libavcodec is present
    Check for the presence of libavcodec library files, such as 'ls /usr/lib*/libavcodec.so*' or checking the FFmpeg build configuration with 'ffmpeg -buildconf'
    Affected if libavcodec exists but the FFmpeg version matches affected versions from step 1
  3. Confirm smacker decoder is available
    Run 'ffmpeg -codecs 2>&1 | grep -i smacker' or 'ffmpeg -decoders 2>&1 | grep -i smacker' to list available decoders
    Affected if A smacker audio decoder (smka) is listed as available in the FFmpeg build
  4. Identify if untrusted Smacker files are processed
    Search for file processing workflows, logs, or services that handle .smk or .smacker audio files using this FFmpeg installation
    Affected if The system processes Smacker media files from untrusted sources using a vulnerable FFmpeg version

You are affected if FFmpeg version 2.6.4, 2.7.0 through 2.7.2, or 2.8.0 through 2.8.2 is installed AND the smacker audio decoder is available AND untrusted Smacker files can be processed by that installation.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update FFmpeg to version 2.6.5, 2.7.3, 2.8.3 or later. If updating is not feasible, avoid processing untrusted Smacker media files with vulnerable FFmpeg installations.

Fix this in Ubuntu Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
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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-2015-8365 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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