CVE-2007-0256 in VLC Media Player
Summary
by MITRE
VideoLAN VLC 0.8.6a allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted .wmv file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0256 represents a significant denial of service weakness in VideoLAN VLC media player version 0.8.6a that can be exploited remotely through specially crafted media files. This flaw specifically affects the handling of Windows Media Video format files with the .wmv extension, demonstrating how multimedia processing applications can be susceptible to malicious input that triggers application instability. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation and buffer handling issues that are commonly found in media playback software due to the complex nature of multimedia file formats and their parsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error handling within VLC's WMV file parser, which fails to properly validate or sanitize input data from maliciously constructed .wmv files. When the application attempts to process these crafted files, the malformed data causes memory corruption or unexpected behavior in the media decoding routines, leading to application termination or complete system freeze. This type of flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition or memory management error that occurs during file parsing operations, where the application does not properly check boundaries or validate the structure of incoming media data before attempting to process it. The vulnerability can be classified under CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read condition or CWE-129 as an insufficient input validation issue.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious risk to users who may unknowingly encounter maliciously crafted .wmv files in email attachments, web downloads, or peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to target systems, making this a particularly dangerous flaw for widespread deployment. The denial of service impact can range from simple application crashes to complete system instability, potentially disrupting media playback services or affecting systems where VLC is integrated into larger software ecosystems. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad, as it can prevent legitimate users from accessing media content and can be weaponized to disrupt services in targeted environments.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input sanitization and robust error handling in multimedia processing applications. The flaw can be mitigated through immediate software updates to VLC version 0.8.6b or later, which contain patches addressing the buffer handling issues in WMV file parsing. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all instances of VLC are updated promptly, as well as consider network-level controls such as content filtering and file type restrictions to prevent execution of potentially malicious media files. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499.004 as a network denial of service attack, and T1059.007 as a command and scripting interpreter, since exploitation involves crafting malicious files that can cause system instability and potentially lead to further compromise if combined with other attack vectors. Additionally, this vulnerability highlights the need for regular security assessments of multimedia applications and adherence to secure coding practices that prevent buffer overflows and memory corruption issues.