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FfmpegApplication

CVE-2023-51794

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Ffmpeg v.N113007-g8d24a28d06 allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code via the libavfilter/af_stereowiden.c:120:69.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in FFmpeg's stereowiden audio filter (libavfilter/af_stereowiden.c:120:69) allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted input to the audio filter.

MitigationUpdate FFmpeg to a version containing the patched bounds checking in the stereowiden filter; if immediate update is not possible, avoid processing untrusted audio files with the stereowiden filter.

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
FfmpegApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.0.2= 7.0.3= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2= 7.1.3= 7.2= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.1

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Check installed FFmpeg version
    Run 'ffmpeg -version' and look for the version number in the output
    Affected if The version shown matches 7.0 through 7.2, or 8.0, 8.0.1, or 8.1 (exact matches to the affected list)
  2. Verify stereowiden filter availability
    Run 'ffmpeg -filters 2>/dev/null | grep -i stereowiden' or 'ffmpeg -L 2>/dev/null | grep -i stereowiden'
    Affected if The stereowiden filter appears in the available filters list, indicating it is compiled into the FFmpeg build
  3. Check for stereowiden in filtergraph usage
    Search configuration files, scripts, or recent command history for 'stereowiden' (e.g., grep -r 'stereowiden' ~/.config/ /path/to/scripts/)
    Affected if Any configuration, script, or command uses the stereowiden audio filter
  4. Identify active audio processing pipelines
    Review any media processing logs, batch jobs, or automation that handle untrusted audio files and may invoke the stereowiden filter
    Affected if Audio files from untrusted sources are being processed through pipelines that include the stereowiden filter

You are affected if your FFmpeg version matches one of the affected versions AND the stereowiden filter is available in your build AND you process audio through that filter, particularly from untrusted sources.

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 FFmpeg to a version containing the patched bounds checking in the stereowiden filter; if immediate update is not possible, avoid processing untrusted audio files with the stereowiden filter.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FFmpeg 7.1 or later (latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify all systems running FFmpeg versions 7.0, 7.0.1, 7.0.2, or 7.0.3
  2. 2. Download the latest stable FFmpeg release from the official source (ffmpeg.org/download.html) or your distribution's package repository
  3. 3. Upgrade FFmpeg to the latest available version (7.1 or later)
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'ffmpeg -version'
  5. 5. Test any affected audio processing workflows that use the stereowiden filter to ensure functionality is preserved
  6. 6. Re-scan or re-test any media files that previously triggered the vulnerability to confirm the fix
Caveat Minor: FFmpeg 7.1 introduced some API changes; verify any custom code or scripts using libavfilter APIs are compatible

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

Fix this in Ffmpeg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2023-51794 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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