CVE-2018-17235
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 function mp4v2::impl::MP4Track::FinishSdtp() in mp4track.cpp in libmp4v2 2.1.0 mishandles compatibleBrand while processing a crafted mp4 file, which leads to a heap-based buffer over-read, causing denial of service.
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 MP4Track::FinishSdtp() function in libmp4v2 2.1.0 contains a heap-based buffer over-read vulnerability due to improper handling of the compatibleBrand field when parsing crafted MP4 files, leading to 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= 2.1.0CVSS 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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Check if libmp4v2 is installedOn Linux, run 'ldconfig -p | grep mp4v2' or check package manager output 'dpkg -l | grep mp4v2' or 'rpm -qa | grep mp4v2'. On macOS, use 'brew list mp4v2' if installed via Homebrew.Affected if libmp4v2 library is found on the system
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Identify the installed libmp4v2 versionRun 'mp4v2-config --version' if the utility is available, or check the library file version directly with 'strings' on the shared object file typically located in /usr/lib/libmp4v2.so or /usr/local/lib/.Affected if The version returned is 2.1.0
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Determine if any application uses libmp4v2 to process MP4 filesSearch application binaries or scripts for linkage to libmp4v2 using 'ldd <application>' or review application documentation to confirm MP4 parsing relies on this library.Affected if An application or service parses MP4 files using libmp4v2
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Inspect MP4 processing workflows for untrusted inputReview logs, file processing pipelines, or services that accept MP4 input from external sources, particularly media converters, transcoders, or analysis tools.Affected if Untrusted or user-supplied MP4 files are processed by a libmp4v2-based application
A user is affected if libmp4v2 version 2.1.0 is installed AND any application or service uses it to parse MP4 files, especially 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 dataAvoid processing untrusted MP4 files with libmp4v2 until a patched version is available; implement input validation on the compatibleBrand field to ensure proper bounds checking before memory access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17235 — 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-2018-17235 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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