CVE-2017-9254
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 mp4ff_read_stts function in common/mp4ff/mp4atom.c in Freeware Advanced Audio Decoder 2 (FAAD2) 2.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (large loop and CPU consumption) via a crafted mp4 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 · moderate confidenceThe vulnerability exists in the mp4ff_read_stts function in common/mp4ff/mp4atom.c of FAAD2 2.7. When parsing a crafted MP4 file, the function enters an uncontrolled large loop while processing the stts (time-to-sample) atom, causing excessive CPU consumption 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= 2.7CVSS 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.
-
Identify FAAD2 installationRun 'faad -v' or 'faad2 -v' to display the installed version, or check the binary/library version using 'file' and 'strings' on the faad binaryAffected if The version reported is 2.7 exactly
-
Locate the vulnerable mp4atom.c componentSearch for the file common/mp4ff/mp4atom.c in the FAAD2 source or check the compiled library for the mp4ff_read_stts symbol using 'nm' or 'objdump'Affected if The mp4ff_read_stts function is present in the installed binary or library
-
Verify stts atom parsing behaviorAttempt to decode a valid MP4 file using faad to confirm the decoder is operational, then check if crafted MP4 files with malformed stts atoms cause excessive CPU usageAffected if The decoder processes MP4 files and the stts atom parsing code path is exercised
-
Confirm product name and versionCheck the application binary or package metadata for 'FAAD2', 'Freeware Advanced Audio Decoder', or 'audiocoding' using 'rpm -qi', 'dpkg -l', or inspecting binary stringsAffected if The product identifies as FAAD2 version 2.7
A system is affected if FAAD2 version 2.7 is installed and processes MP4 files using the mp4ff_read_stts function in common/mp4ff/mp4atom.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 dataDo not process untrusted or unverified MP4 files with FAAD2 2.7. Apply any available vendor patches or update to a newer version. Consider implementing input validation to check MP4 atom structures before parsing.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9254 — 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-2017-9254 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data