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Stb Vorbis.cApplication · Nothings

CVE-2023-45676

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
stb_vorbis is a single file MIT licensed library for processing ogg vorbis files. A crafted file may trigger out of bounds write in `f->vendor[i] = get8_packet(f);`. The root cause is an integer overflow in `setup_malloc`. A sufficiently large value in the variable `sz` overflows with `sz+7` in and the negative value passes the maximum available memory buffer check. This issue may lead to code execution.

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 crafted Ogg Vorbis file triggers an integer overflow in the setup_malloc function where a large sz value combined with sz+7 overflows, producing a negative size that bypasses memory buffer validation checks. This allows an out-of-bounds write to the vendor string field (f->vendor[i] = get8_packet(f)), potentially enabling code execution.

MitigationUpdate stb_vorbis to a patched version that adds proper overflow validation in setup_malloc, or implement input validation to reject Vorbis files with excessively large vendor string fields before processing.

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
Stb Vorbis.cApplication
Affected:= 1.22

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Locate stb_vorbis.c in your codebase
    Search your source files for stb_vorbis.c or stb_vorbis.h to confirm the library is present
    Affected if The library file is found in your project
  2. Identify the stb_vorbis version
    Open stb_vorbis.c and search for a version identifier (typically a STB_VORBIS_VERSION macro or comment near the top of the file) and compare it to 1.22
    Affected if The version is exactly 1.22
  3. Verify Ogg Vorbis decoding is in use
    Search your code for calls to stb_vorbis_open_file, stb_vorbis_open_memory, or stb_vorbis_decode_* functions to confirm Ogg Vorbis files are being processed
    Affected if Your code calls stb_vorbis decoding functions on user-provided or external files
  4. Confirm vendor string processing occurs
    The vulnerability triggers when stb_vorbis parses an Ogg Vorbis file's vendor string field during initial decoding - verify your workflow decodes metadata from Ogg Vorbis files
    Affected if Your application decodes metadata from Ogg Vorbis files which triggers vendor string parsing

You are affected if your project uses stb_vorbis.c version 1.22 and processes Ogg Vorbis files that could contain a crafted vendor string field.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update stb_vorbis to a patched version that adds proper overflow validation in setup_malloc, or implement input validation to reject Vorbis files with excessively large vendor string fields before processing.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

latest stable version of stb_vorbis (available at github.com/nothings/stb, typically version 1.23 or later)

  1. 1. Locate the stb_vorbis.c file in your project (typically included as a single-header library)
  2. 2. Check the current version by looking for the version string in the file header (search for 'stb_vorbis' and version number)
  3. 3. Navigate to the official stb_vorbis repository at github.com/nothings/stb
  4. 4. Download the latest version of stb_vorbis.c (or stb_vorbis.h if using the header-only version)
  5. 5. Replace the existing stb_vorbis.c/stb_vorbis.h file in your project with the updated version
  6. 6. Rebuild and test your application to ensure audio decoding functionality still works correctly
Caveat minimal - stb_vorbis is a single-file library with stable API; main risk is if the newer version has changes to function signatures or behavior

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Stb Vorbis.c 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
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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-2023-45676 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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