CVE-2019-18796
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 BASS Audio Library 2.4.14 under Windows is prone to a BASS_StreamCreateFile Denial of Service vulnerability (infinite loop) via a crafted .mp3 file. This weakness could allow attackers to consume excessive CPU and the application becomes unresponsive.
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 BASS Audio Library 2.4.14 contains a vulnerability in the BASS_StreamCreateFile function where processing a specially crafted .mp3 file triggers an infinite loop, causing excessive CPU consumption and rendering the application unresponsive.
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<= 2.4.14.1CVSS 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:3.1/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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Identify BASS library presenceSearch for bass.dll, bass.so, or libbass files in your application dependencies, installation directories, or imported libraries. Check your project's dependency manifests or package lists for the Un4seen BASS library.Affected if The BASS audio library is present in your environment
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Determine BASS library versionLocate the bass library file and check its version properties. In Windows, right-click the DLL and select Properties > Details > File Version. For Linux/Unix, use 'strings' or examine the library metadata. Check any version info embedded in the library filename.Affected if The installed version is 2.4.14.1 or lower
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Verify usage of vulnerable functionReview your codebase for calls to BASS_StreamCreateFile function. Search for code patterns like BASS_StreamCreateFile(FALSE, file, ...) where file may point to .mp3 content. Check if your application processes .mp3 files through this function.Affected if Your application calls BASS_StreamCreateFile to process .mp3 audio files
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Check audio processing contextIdentify where BASS_StreamCreateFile receives input. Determine if user-supplied or external .mp3 files are passed to this function without prior validation. Review your file handling code paths.Affected if Unsvalidated or externally-sourced .mp3 files can reach BASS_StreamCreateFile
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Monitor CPU behavior during MP3 processingIf possible, test processing of untrusted .mp3 files while monitoring CPU usage. A vulnerable system will exhibit 100% CPU usage on the processing thread and become unresponsive.Affected if Processing .mp3 files through BASS_StreamCreateFile causes excessive CPU consumption or hangs
You are affected if you have BASS library version 2.4.14.1 or lower and your application uses BASS_StreamCreateFile to process .mp3 files from untrusted or external 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 dataImplement input validation and file format verification before passing files to BASS_StreamCreateFile. Consider implementing resource limits or timeouts for audio processing operations to prevent indefinite loops.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,992.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-18796 — 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-2019-18796 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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