CVE-2008-1161 in demuxer
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the Matroska demuxer (demuxers/demux_matroska.c) in xine-lib before 1.1.10.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a Matroska file with invalid frame sizes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1161 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Matroska demuxer component of xine-lib multimedia framework. This issue affects versions prior to 1.1.10.1 and stems from inadequate input validation when processing Matroska container files. The flaw manifests in the demuxers/demux_matroska.c source file where the application fails to properly sanitize frame size parameters within Matroska media files. When a maliciously crafted Matroska file containing invalid frame sizes is processed, the application's memory management becomes compromised, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential system instability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through malformed frame size specifications within the Matroska container format. The buffer overflow condition arises when the demuxer attempts to allocate memory based on these invalid frame size values, exceeding the allocated buffer boundaries. This memory corruption can result in stack smashing or heap corruption depending on the specific implementation details and memory layout. The vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient boundary checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The attack vector is remote, as the malicious file can be delivered over network connections or stored on removable media, making it particularly dangerous for multimedia applications that automatically process user-provided content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enabling remote code execution. When the buffer overflow occurs, it can corrupt critical program execution flow, including return addresses on the stack or function pointers in the heap. This memory corruption allows attackers to manipulate program execution and potentially inject malicious code into the running process. The severity classification of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of software vulnerabilities for code execution, and T1499, covering network denial of service attacks. The xine-lib application, being a widely used multimedia framework, presents an attractive target for attackers seeking to compromise systems through media file processing, as many applications depend on this library for playback functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-1161 focus primarily on immediate version upgrading to xine-lib 1.1.10.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to properly validate frame sizes and prevent buffer overflows. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Additional protective measures include implementing strict input validation for multimedia content, deploying sandboxing techniques for media processing, and configuring network firewalls to restrict access to multimedia processing services. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management and input validation in multimedia frameworks, highlighting how seemingly benign file format parsing can become a critical security concern when proper bounds checking is absent. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify systems running vulnerable versions of xine-lib and other multimedia libraries to prevent exploitation attempts.