CVE-2018-16781
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 · uneditedffjpeg.dll in ffjpeg before 2018-08-22 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (FPE signal) via a progressive JPEG file that lacks an AC Huffman table.
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 confidenceThe ffjpeg library (ffjpeg.dll) contains a denial-of-service vulnerability triggered when processing a specially crafted progressive JPEG file that lacks an AC Huffman table. The missing table causes a Floating Point Exception (FPE) signal, crashing the application. This is a classic input validation failure in JPEG parsing logic.
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< 2018-08-22CVSS 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.
-
Locate ffjpeg.dll in the environmentSearch filesystem for ffjpeg.dll (e.g., using 'dir /s ffjpeg.dll' on Windows or 'find . -name ffjpeg.dll' on Linux). Note the full path where it is found.Affected if The library file exists in any directory used by the application or system.
-
Determine ffjpeg.dll version or build dateRight-click the found ffjpeg.dll, select Properties, then inspect the Version tab for File Version, Product Version, or Link Timestamp. If version info is unavailable, right-click and view Details or use a tool like 'exiftool' or a PE header viewer to find the compilation timestamp.Affected if The version/timestamp is earlier than 2018-08-22 (e.g., build date before August 22, 2018).
-
Identify applications using ffjpeg.dllSearch application binaries or scripts for references to ffjpeg, or use dependency walkers/tools to see which executables load ffjpeg.dll. Check application logs or documentation if available.Affected if Any application loads or links against ffjpeg.dll to process image files.
-
Confirm JPEG processing capability is in useReview application configuration or code to determine if it processes JPEG files, particularly progressive JPEG formats. Inspect sample input files or application documentation for supported image types.Affected if The application accepts and processes JPEG files, especially progressive JPEGs from untrusted sources.
You are affected if ffjpeg.dll with a version or build date earlier than 2018-08-22 is present AND any application using it processes progressive JPEG files from external or 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 data2018-08-22
Update ffjpeg library to version 2018-08-22 or later which includes proper validation for AC Huffman table presence. Alternatively, implement input validation on JPEG files before passing them to ffjpeg to reject progressive JPEGs lacking required Huffman tables.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-16781 — 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-2018-16781 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