CVE-2017-11551
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 id3_field_parse function in field.c in libid3tag 0.15.1b allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (OOM) via a crafted MP3 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 confidenceThe id3_field_parse function in libid3tag 0.15.1b does not properly validate the size of data when parsing ID3v2 tags from MP3 files. A crafted MP3 file with a specially crafted ID3 tag can cause excessive memory allocation, leading to out-of-memory (OOM) condition and denial of service.
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= 0.15.1bCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify libid3tag installationSearch for libid3tag library files (libid3tag.so, libid3tag.a, id3tag.dll) in the system or application dependencies. Check package managers (dpkg, rpm, brew) for installed libid3tag packages. If embedded, search source code or build artifacts for libid3tag references.Affected if libid3tag version 0.15.1b is found in the environment
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Confirm the exact version numberRun 'pkg-config --modversion libid3tag' or check the library binary with 'strings' for '0.15.1b'. Inspect the source code version.h or configure.ac if compiling from source. Compare against the affected version 0.15.1b.Affected if The installed version is exactly 0.15.1b
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Determine if MP3 ID3 parsing is in useReview application code, logs, or documentation to identify if any component parses MP3 files using libid3tag. Search for calls to id3_tag_parse, id3_field_parse, or similar ID3 parsing functions. Check if the application processes untrusted MP3 files.Affected if The application uses libid3tag to parse ID3v2 tags from MP3 files, especially from untrusted sources
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Monitor for OOM conditions during MP3 processingObserve application behavior or system memory usage when processing MP3 files. Check system logs (dmesg, syslog) for OOM killer events or memory allocation failures occurring during MP3 parsing operations.Affected if Out-of-memory errors occur specifically when parsing MP3 files with ID3 tags
You are affected if libid3tag version 0.15.1b is installed and is used to parse ID3v2 tags from MP3 files, particularly from untrusted sources, leading to excessive memory consumption.
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 dataUpdate libid3tag to a patched version if available. If no patch exists, implement input validation and memory limits before parsing ID3 tags from untrusted MP3 files, or sanitize/filter untrusted input at the application layer.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-11551 — 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-2017-11551 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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