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Stb Vorbis.cApplication · Nothings

CVE-2023-45682

HIGH · 7.1 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 →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 read in `DECODE` macro when `var` is negative. As it can be seen in the definition of `DECODE_RAW` a negative `var` is a valid value. This issue may be used to leak internal memory allocation information.

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 confidence

stb_vorbis library contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the DECODE macro when processing crafted OGG Vorbis files. A negative value for the `var` parameter in DECODE_RAW is treated as valid but can cause reads beyond buffer boundaries, allowing attackers to leak internal memory allocation information.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of stb_vorbis that adds proper bounds validation in the DECODE macro to prevent negative `var` values from causing out-of-bounds reads, or implement input validation on OGG Vorbis files 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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/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. Locate stb_vorbis.c in your project
    Search your codebase for files named 'stb_vorbis.c', 'stb_vorbis.h', or similar variations of the stb_vorbis library
    Affected if The file is present in your project and you process OGG Vorbis audio files
  2. Identify the stb_vorbis version
    Open the stb_vorbis.c file and look for a version string near the top of the file (often in comments or defined as STB_VORBIS_VERSION or similar)
    Affected if The version is exactly 1.22, as this is the only affected version listed
  3. Check for the vulnerable DECODE_RAW macro usage
    Search the stb_vorbis.c file for 'DECODE_RAW' and examine whether your code path calls functions that use this macro (such as vorbis_decode_initial, vorbis_decode_packet, or similar decoding functions)
    Affected if You call any Vorbis decoding functions that utilize the DECODE_RAW macro to process OGG files
  4. Verify OGG/Vorbis input processing
    Review your code to confirm you parse or decode OGG Vorbis audio files using stb_vorbis functions like stb_vorbis_open_memory, stb_vorbis_decode_filename, or stb_vorbis_get_samples
    Affected if Your application processes untrusted or external OGG Vorbis files through stb_vorbis

You are affected if your project includes stb_vorbis.c version 1.22 and you use it to decode OGG Vorbis files from untrusted sources, as the negative var parameter in DECODE_RAW can trigger the out-of-bounds read.

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 to a patched version of stb_vorbis that adds proper bounds validation in the DECODE macro to prevent negative `var` values from causing out-of-bounds reads, or implement input validation on OGG Vorbis files before processing.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

stb_vorbis 1.23

  1. Download the fixed version of stb_vorbis.c from the official repository (github.com/nothings/stb)
  2. Replace the vulnerable stb_vorbis.c file in your project with the updated version

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

Fix this in Stb Vorbis.c Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2023-45682 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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