CVE-2017-16793
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 wav_convert2mono function in lib/wav.c in SWFTools 0.9.2 does not properly validate WAV data, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (incorrect malloc and heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted 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 confidenceA heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the wav_convert2mono function in lib/wav.c of SWFTools 0.9.2 due to improper validation of WAV file data. The function incorrectly calculates memory allocation sizes, leading to heap overflow when processing specially crafted WAV files, which can cause denial of service or potentially allow 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= 0.9.2CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Identify swftools installationRun 'swftools -V' or check package manager for installed swftools packagesAffected if The installed version is exactly 0.9.2
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Locate the vulnerable library fileSearch for lib/wav.c in the swftools installation directory or source treeAffected if The file exists and belongs to swftools 0.9.2
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Verify WAV processing capabilityCheck if wav2swf tool is available by running 'wav2swf -h' or locating the binaryAffected if wav2swf is installed and executable, indicating WAV file processing is possible
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Review WAV processing workflowsAudit any scripts, applications, or automated pipelines that invoke swftools to process WAV audio filesAffected if WAV files are being processed through swftools tools, particularly wav2swf
You are affected if swftools version 0.9.2 is installed and WAV files are being processed using the wav2swf utility or related components that invoke the vulnerable wav_convert2mono function in lib/wav.c.
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 dataImplement proper validation of WAV file headers (RIFF/WAVE format, channel counts, sample rates, data size fields) before memory allocation and ensure bounds checking on all buffer operations in the wav_convert2mono function.
- 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-2017-16793 — 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-2017-16793 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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