CVE-2017-7206
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 ff_h2645_extract_rbsp function in libavcodec in libav 9.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read) or obtain sensitive information from process memory via a crafted h264 video 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 over-read vulnerability exists in the ff_h2645_extract_rbsp function within libavcodec (part of libav 9.21). This function processes H.264 raw byte sequence payloads during video parsing. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially leak sensitive process memory by providing a specially crafted H.264 video file that triggers the improper buffer handling.
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= 9.21CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/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 if Libav is installedRun 'avconv -version' or 'ffmpeg -version' (note: Libav is a fork of FFmpeg and may report as avconv). Look for version 9.21 in the output.Affected if Version reported is 9.21
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Locate libavcodec librarySearch for libavcodec shared libraries: 'find /usr -name 'libavcodec*' 2>/dev/null' or check package manager output with 'dpkg -l | grep libav' (Debian) or 'rpm -qa | grep libav' (RPM).Affected if libavcodec version 9.21 is found installed on the system
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Verify H.264 parsing is in useCheck if the system or application processes H.264 video files. Review application logs, configurations, or monitor for processes using libavcodec with H.264 content. The vulnerability triggers when ff_h2645_extract_rbsp processes H.264 RBSP data.Affected if Any application or service uses libav 9.21 to parse H.264 video files
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Confirm exposure to untrusted H.264 inputAudit the environment to determine if libav 9.21 processes H.264 files from untrusted sources (user uploads, network streams, external inputs). Review file processing workflows and input sources.Affected if The system accepts or processes H.264 video files from untrusted or external sources using libav 9.21
A system is affected if libav version 9.21 is installed and processes H.264 video files, particularly from untrusted sources.
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 libav to a patched version that includes proper bounds checking in the ff_h2645_extract_rbsp function. If patching is not possible, implement input validation and restrict processing of untrusted H.264 video files until an update is available.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7206 — 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-2017-7206 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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