Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2016-5108
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the DecodeAdpcmImaQT function in modules/codec/adpcm.c in VideoLAN VLC media player before 2.2.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted QuickTime IMA file.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow in the DecodeAdpcmImaQT function in modules/codec/adpcm.c allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted QuickTime IMA audio files in VLC media player versions before 2.2.4.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0<= 2.2.3CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 VLC media player versionRun 'vlc --version' or 'vlc -version' in command line, or open VLC and go to Help > About to view the version numberAffected if Version is 2.2.3 or earlier (any version <= 2.2.3)
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Verify adpcm codec module is presentCheck for the adpcm module file in the VLC installation directory - look for 'libadpcm_plugin.*' or 'adpcm.dll' in the modules/codec folder of your VLC installationAffected if The adpcm codec module exists and is available for loading
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Confirm QuickTime IMA audio support is enabledIn VLC, go to Tools > Preferences > Codecs (or check 'Tools > Codecs' in the interface) to see if QuickTime IMA ADPCM audio decoding is enabled/availableAffected if QuickTime IMA audio decoding capability is present or can be enabled in the affected VLC version
You are affected if VLC media player version is 2.2.3 or earlier AND the adpcm codec module for QuickTime IMA audio is present and functional in your installation.
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 VLC media player to version 2.2.4 or later; avoid opening untrusted QuickTime IMA audio files from unknown or untrusted sources.
VLC Media Player 2.2.4 or later (latest stable release recommended)
- Check the current VLC Media Player version by opening VLC and navigating to 'Help' > 'About' or running 'vlc --version' in terminal
- Download VLC Media Player version 2.2.4 or later from the official VideoLAN website (www.videolan.org)
- Uninstall the current VLC version: On Debian, run 'apt-get remove vlc' or 'apt-get purge vlc'
- Install the new version: On Debian, run 'apt-get install vlc' after adding the official VLC repository, or install the downloaded .deb package directly
- Verify the installation by checking the version: 'vlc --version'
- Ensure the version shows 2.2.4 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-5108 — 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-2016-5108 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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