CVE-2017-16942
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 · uneditedIn libsndfile 1.0.25 (fixed in 1.0.26), a divide-by-zero error exists in the function wav_w64_read_fmt_chunk() in wav_w64.c, which may lead to DoS when playing a crafted audio 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 divide-by-zero vulnerability exists in libsndfile 1.0.25's wav_w64_read_fmt_chunk() function in wav_w64.c when parsing WAV/W64 audio files. A specially crafted fmt chunk in a malformed audio file triggers division by zero, causing application crash 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= 1.0.25CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 installed libsndfile versionRun 'sndfile-config --version' or check the library file with 'dpkg -l libsndfile1' (Debian) or 'rpm -qi libsndfile' (RHEL). On Windows, check the file properties of libsndfile.dll or the linked library in your application.Affected if The version is exactly 1.0.25
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Locate the libsndfile library binaryFind the actual library file: 'locate libsndfile' on Linux, or check your application's dependencies with 'ldd <application>' or dependency walker on Windows.Affected if The library file version resolves to 1.0.25
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Verify WAV/W64 file parsing is in useCheck application logs, configuration, or code to confirm it uses libsndfile to open or process .wav or .w64 audio files.Affected if The application or service processes WAV or W64 files using libsndfile
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Test with sample malformed WAV fileIf you have access to a sample file that triggers the divide-by-zero (or can obtain a proof-of-concept), attempt to open it with the affected application/library and monitor for crash or division-by-zero error.Affected if The application crashes with a division by zero error when parsing a crafted WAV/W64 file
You are affected if libsndfile version 1.0.25 is installed and your application uses it to parse WAV or W64 audio files.
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 dataUpgrade libsndfile to version 1.0.26 or later where the vulnerability is fixed. Consider implementing input validation to reject malformed WAV/W64 files before processing as an additional defense-in-depth measure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16942 — 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-2017-16942 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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