dbcve.org
LibavApplication

CVE-2018-19129

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-11-09
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
In Libav 12.3, a NULL pointer dereference (RIP points to zero) issue in ff_mpa_synth_filter_float in libavcodec/mpegaudiodsp_template.c can cause a segmentation fault (application crash) via a crafted mov 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 confidence

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in Libav 12.3's ff_mpa_synth_filter_float function in libavcodec/mpegaudiodsp_template.c allows a specially crafted MOV file to trigger a segmentation fault. The vulnerability occurs when the RIP register points to zero during dereferencing of an uninitialized or NULL pointer in the MP3 audio synthesis processing path.

MitigationAvoid processing untrusted or crafted MOV files with vulnerable Libav 12.3 installations. Apply any available security patches from Libav upstream that address NULL pointer checks in the mpegaudiodsp_template.c file.

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:= 12.3

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. Identify installed Libav version
    Run 'avconv -version' or 'libavcodec-version' to determine the installed Libav version number
    Affected if The version shown is exactly 12.3
  2. Locate libavcodec library
    Find the installed libavcodec shared library file, typically in /usr/lib/ or /usr/local/lib/, using 'find /usr -name "libavcodec*" 2>/dev/null'
    Affected if The library exists and was built from Libav 12.3 source code
  3. Confirm MOV file processing capability
    Check if Libav was compiled with MOV demuxer support by running 'avconv -formats 2>/dev/null | grep -i mov' or inspecting available muxer/demuxer configurations
    Affected if MOV format is listed as supported and enabled in the Libav installation
  4. Verify vulnerable code path exists
    Inspect the libavcodec binary or check if ff_mpa_synth_filter_float symbol exists in the library using 'nm -D /path/to/libavcodec.so | grep mpa_synth'
    Affected if The mpegaudiospdsp synthesis functions are present in the installed library build

You are affected if Libav version 12.3 is installed and configured to process MOV files with the vulnerable MP3 audio synthesis code path present.

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

Avoid processing untrusted or crafted MOV files with vulnerable Libav 12.3 installations. Apply any available security patches from Libav upstream that address NULL pointer checks in the mpegaudiodsp_template.c file.

Fix this in Libav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-19129 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2018-19129 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data