CVE-2026-52721
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 · uneditedMultiple out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities were found in GStreamer's pcapparse element. Malformed PCAP records can trigger reads beyond buffer boundaries during IPv4/TCP header parsing. This element is primarily used in debugging pipelines, limiting real-world exposure. A local attacker could trick a user into processing a specially crafted PCAP file, potentially leading to a crash or information disclosure.
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 confidenceMultiple out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities exist in GStreamer's pcapparse element when parsing malformed PCAP records. During IPv4/TCP header parsing, the element reads beyond buffer boundaries, potentially causing crashes or information disclosure.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify GStreamer installation and versionRun 'gst-inspect-1.0 --version' or check your system's package manager for gstreamer packages. Compare the installed version to any known fixed versions for this CVE.Affected if GStreamer is installed with a version that predates the security fix for CVE-2026-52721.
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Confirm pcapparse element availabilityRun 'gst-inspect-1.0 pcapparse' to see if the pcapparse element is registered and available in your GStreamer installation.Affected if The pcapparse element is present in your GStreamer plugins.
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Identify pipelines using pcapparseSearch configuration files, startup scripts, and running processes for instances of 'pcapparse' in GStreamer pipeline definitions, or monitor network capture/debugging tools that may use this element.Affected if A pipeline or application is actively using the pcapparse element to process PCAP files.
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Inspect application logs for pcapparse errorsReview system logs, application logs, and any debugging output for messages containing 'pcapparse', 'out-of-bounds', or memory access errors when processing PCAP data.Affected if Recent crashes or error messages reference pcapparse while processing PCAP records.
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Check for untrusted PCAP file processingAudit running services or scheduled tasks that ingest PCAP files from external or untrusted sources and route them through GStreamer pipelines.Affected if The environment processes PCAP files from untrusted sources through GStreamer pipelines that include pcapparse.
You are affected if GStreamer with the pcapparse element is installed and any pipeline processes PCAP files through it, especially from untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate GStreamer to the latest version containing the fix. Avoid processing untrusted PCAP files with the pcapparse element, especially in debugging pipelines that may handle sensitive data.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-52721 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-52721 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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