LibavApplication

CVE-2016-7477

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-02-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 ff_put_pixels8_xy2_mmx function in rnd_template.c in Libav 11.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid memory access and crash) via a crafted mp3 file. NOTE: this issue was originally reported as involving a NULL pointer dereference.

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

Libav 11.7 contains an invalid memory access vulnerability in the MMX-optimized ff_put_pixels8_xy2_mmx function in rnd_template.c. When processing a specially crafted mp3 file, this function can access invalid memory addresses, leading to a denial of service condition and crash. The issue was originally reported as a NULL pointer dereference.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Libav if available. If no patch exists, consider migrating to a maintained fork like FFmpeg, or implement input validation to reject malformed mp3 files before processing.

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
LibavApplication
Affected:= 11.7

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Libav is installed
    Run 'avconv -version' or 'libavconfig-*.so --version' to check for Libav on the system
    Affected if Libav binaries or libraries are present on the system
  2. Identify the exact Libav version
    Examine the version string from the previous command output - look for the precise version number
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.7
  3. Check if MMX-optimized functions are available
    Inspect the compiled Libav binary for MMX support - review build configuration files or run 'avconv -buildconf' if available to see if 'mmx' or 'MMX' appears in the enabled optimizations
    Affected if MMX optimizations are compiled into the Libav build and the ff_put_pixels8_xy2_mmx function is present
  4. Determine if mp3 files are processed
    Review application logs, file processing records, or network captures to see if the system uses Libav to decode or process mp3 audio files
    Affected if The system uses Libav to process mp3 files

The system is affected only if Libav version 11.7 is installed, MMX optimizations are enabled in the build, and the system processes mp3 files through Libav - all three conditions must be true.

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

Upgrade to a patched version of Libav if available. If no patch exists, consider migrating to a maintained fork like FFmpeg, or implement input validation to reject malformed mp3 files before processing.

Fix this in Libav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2016-7477 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