CVE-2007-2948 in MPlayer
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in stream/stream_cddb.c in MPlayer before 1.0rc1try3 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a CDDB entry with a long (1) album title or (2) category.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2948 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw discovered in the MPlayer media player software prior to version 1.0rc1try3. This vulnerability resides within the stream/stream_cddb.c component of the application, specifically targeting the handling of Compact Disc Database entries. The flaw manifests when the software processes CDDB data containing excessively long album titles or category fields, creating a condition where attacker-controlled input can overwrite adjacent memory locations on the stack. Such buffer overflows fundamentally compromise the application's memory integrity and provide attackers with potential pathways for arbitrary code execution.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which categorizes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to write beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw operates through the standard mechanism of stack memory corruption where excessive input data overflows the predetermined buffer space allocated for storing CDDB album titles or category information. When an attacker crafts a malicious CDDB entry with specially constructed long strings, the vulnerable code fails to validate input length, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite return addresses, function pointers, or other critical stack data. This vulnerability specifically affects the CDDB lookup functionality that MPlayer uses to retrieve album information from online databases, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through legitimate network-based operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized control over systems running vulnerable versions of MPlayer. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute malicious payloads, escalate privileges, or establish persistent access to compromised systems. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers need only provide a malicious CDDB entry to the vulnerable application, making the attack surface particularly broad given that MPlayer is widely used for media playback across various platforms. This vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign features like database lookups can become attack vectors when proper input validation and memory management practices are absent.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-2948 primarily involve immediate software updates to MPlayer version 1.0rc1try3 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the buffer overflow conditions. System administrators should also implement network-based restrictions to prevent access to untrusted CDDB servers, as well as deploy input validation measures that enforce reasonable length limits on CDDB entry fields. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1059.007 highlights its potential for command and scripting interpreter usage, while also aligning with T1203 for exploitation of remote services. Organizations should also consider implementing memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and data execution prevention to reduce the effectiveness of potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar buffer overflow conditions in other multimedia applications and libraries that may be susceptible to similar attack vectors.