dbcve.org
FedoraOperating system · Fedoraproject

CVE-2023-51797

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-19
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
No privileges 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/avf_showwaves.c:722:24 in showwaves_filter_frame

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 buffer overflow vulnerability exists in FFmpeg's showwaves_filter_frame function within libavfilter/avf_showwaves.c at line 722. The vulnerability occurs when processing audio visualization frames, where insufficient bounds checking allows a local attacker to overwrite memory beyond allocated buffers, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate FFmpeg to a version containing the fix for this vulnerability, or apply a patch that adds proper bounds checking in the showwaves_filter_frame function to validate buffer sizes before memory operations.

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
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 38= 39= 40
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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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' to retrieve the version number
    Affected if The version matches any of: 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, or falls within the 7.0-8.1 range on Fedora 38/39/40
  2. Verify showwaves filter availability
    Run 'ffmpeg -filters 2>/dev/null | grep showwaves' to list showwaves-related filters
    Affected if Any showwaves filter variant (showwaves, showwavespic, showspheres) appears in the filter list, indicating the vulnerable code is compiled into the binary
  3. Check for active audio visualization workflows
    Inspect any scripts, configurations, or applications that invoke FFmpeg with audio visualization filters by searching for 'showwaves' in command logs, config files, or media processing pipelines
    Affected if A pipeline or process invokes the showwaves filter with user-controlled or untrusted audio input, triggering the vulnerable code path at libavfilter/avf_showwaves.c line 722
  4. Inspect FFmpeg library files
    Locate libavfilter library files (typically in /usr/lib/ or /usr/local/lib/) and verify the build date or check for the presence of avf_showwaves.c in source if compiled from source
    Affected if The binary or library was built from an unpatched FFmpeg source tree containing the vulnerable showwaves_filter_frame function

You are affected if FFmpeg version 7.0-8.1 is installed AND the showwaves audio visualization filter is in use, allowing the buffer overflow in showwaves_filter_frame to be triggered when processing malicious audio frames.

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 fix for this vulnerability, or apply a patch that adds proper bounds checking in the showwaves_filter_frame function to validate buffer sizes before memory operations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FFmpeg 7.1 or later (or latest stable release)

  1. Update FFmpeg packages via your system's package manager: `sudo dnf update ffmpeg` or `sudo dnf upgrade ffmpeg`
  2. Verify the installed version after update: `ffmpeg -version`
  3. Ensure the installed version is newer than 7.0.3 (e.g., 7.1 or later) which contains the fix for the buffer overflow in showwaves_filter_frame

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

Fix this in Fedora Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,820
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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-2023-51797 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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