dbcve.org
GstreamerApplication

CVE-2026-3086

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.28.1 or later.
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
GStreamer H.266 Codec Parser Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of GStreamer. Interaction with this library is required to exploit this vulnerability but attack vectors may vary depending on the implementation. The specific flaw exists within the processing of APS units. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-28911.

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

GStreamer contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in its H.266/VVC codec parser. The vulnerability exists in the processing of Adaptation Parameter Set (APS) units due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data lengths before writing to buffers. This allows an attacker to write past the end of an allocated buffer by providing specially crafted H.266 bitstreams, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply any available vendor patches for GStreamer that address the APS parsing bounds validation issue. If no patch is available, implement manual bounds checking in the H.266 parser code to validate APS data lengths against allocated buffer sizes before write 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
GstreamerApplication
Affected:< 1.28.1

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
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. Identify installed GStreamer version
    Run `gst-inspect-1.0 --version` or check your package manager for the installed gstreamer version
    Affected if The version is below 1.28.1
  2. Locate VVC plugin files
    Search for vvcparse or vvc related plugin files (typically in /usr/lib/gstreamer-1.0/ or your system plugin directory)
    Affected if VVC/H.266 parser plugins exist on the system and are accessible to GStreamer
  3. Verify VVC element is available
    Run `gst-inspect-1.0 vvcparse` to check if the VVC parser element is registered and loadable
    Affected if The command returns valid element information indicating the VVC parser is available
  4. Check application usage of VVC media
    Review application logs or network captures for processing of H.266/VVC encoded media files
    Affected if Applications using this GStreamer installation process media files containing H.266/VVC content

You are affected if GStreamer version is below 1.28.1 AND the VVC/H.266 parser plugin is present and being used to process media files.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.28.1 or later
Fixed in 1.28.1
Interim mitigation

Apply any available vendor patches for GStreamer that address the APS parsing bounds validation issue. If no patch is available, implement manual bounds checking in the H.266 parser code to validate APS data lengths against allocated buffer sizes before write operations.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.28.1

  1. Verify current GStreamer version installed on the system
  2. Check GStreamer release notes for version 1.28.1 to confirm the vulnerability fix is included
  3. Upgrade GStreamer to version 1.28.1 or later using the system's package manager (e.g., apt-get, dnf, yum, or pacman)
  4. Verify the upgraded version is 1.28.1 or later by running gst-inspect --version or similar
  5. Test that media pipelines involving H.266/VVC content function correctly post-upgrade

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

Fix this in Gstreamer 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-3086 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-3086 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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