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LibavApplication

CVE-2017-18244

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 stereo_processing function in libavcodec/aacps.c in Libav 12.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via a crafted aac file, related to ff_ps_apply.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the stereo_processing function in libavcodec/aacps.c of Libav 12.2. The vulnerability occurs when processing crafted AAC files via the ff_ps_apply function, allowing remote attackers to trigger a denial of service by reading memory outside allocated buffers.

MitigationUpdate Libav to a patched version that addresses the bounds checking in the stereo processing code, or validate AAC files before processing to reject malformed inputs.

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:= 12.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check if Libav is installed
    Run 'avconv -version' or 'ffmpeg -version' to identify if Libav or FFmpeg is present on the system
    Affected if Libav is installed and being used for AAC processing
  2. Identify the exact Libav version
    Run 'avconv -version' and examine the output for the version number (e.g., 'Libav 12.2' or similar)
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 12.2
  3. Check for AAC file processing usage
    Review application logs or configuration to determine if AAC audio files are being processed through libavcodec, particularly through the ps (parametric stereo) module
    Affected if AAC files are being decoded using Libav's stereo processing features
  4. Inspect the library file
    Check for libavcodec shared library files (e.g., libavcodec.so*) in the system and verify their metadata or embedded version information
    Affected if libavcodec version 12.2 is present on the system
  5. Verify the vulnerable code path is reachable
    If Libav is in use, determine whether the parametric stereo (ps) decoder is enabled or called during AAC file processing - this is the code path that triggers the flaw in aacps.c
    Affected if Parametric stereo processing is enabled or used for AAC files

A user is affected if they are running Libav version 12.2 and processing AAC audio files through the parametric stereo decoder.

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

Update Libav to a patched version that addresses the bounds checking in the stereo processing code, or validate AAC files before processing to reject malformed inputs.

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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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-2017-18244 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
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