CVE-2008-1420 in libvorbis
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in residue partition value (aka partvals) evaluation in Xiph.org libvorbis 1.2.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted OGG file, which triggers a heap overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1420 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the Xiph.org libvorbis library version 1.2.0 and earlier. This issue manifests during the evaluation of residue partition values, commonly referred to as partvals, which are essential components in the Vorbis audio compression format. The flaw occurs when processing specially crafted OGG files that contain malformed residue partition data, creating a condition where integer arithmetic operations exceed their defined limits and wrap around to produce unexpected values. This specific vulnerability falls under the CWE-190 category of Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which is a well-documented class of vulnerabilities that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves an attacker crafting a malicious OGG file with oversized or malformed partvals that trigger the integer overflow during the decoding process. When the libvorbis library attempts to allocate memory based on these corrupted integer values, it can result in heap corruption, where the program writes data beyond the allocated memory boundaries. This heap overflow condition creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through standard media playback scenarios, making it an attractive target for remote code execution attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-1420 extends across numerous applications and systems that rely on the libvorbis library for audio processing, including media players, web browsers, multimedia frameworks, and content delivery systems. Any application that processes OGG audio files without proper input validation becomes vulnerable to this attack vector, potentially allowing remote attackers to gain unauthorized code execution capabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and integer overflow protection in multimedia processing libraries, as these components often handle untrusted data from external sources. Security researchers have classified this issue as a high-severity vulnerability due to its remote exploitability and potential for privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-1420 primarily involve upgrading to libvorbis version 1.2.1 or later, which includes patches specifically designed to address the integer overflow condition in residue partition value evaluation. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected applications are updated promptly. Additionally, deploying input validation mechanisms that sanitize OGG file contents before processing can provide an additional layer of defense. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to secure coding practices and following the ATT&CK framework's guidance on preventing memory corruption vulnerabilities through proper bounds checking and input validation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in other multimedia libraries and components.