CVE-2008-4868 in FFmpeg
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the avcodec_close function in libavcodec/utils.c in FFmpeg 0.4.9 before r14787, as used by MPlayer, has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to a free "on random pointers."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4868 represents a critical memory management flaw within the FFmpeg multimedia processing library, specifically affecting the avcodec_close function in libavcodec/utils.c. This issue emerged in FFmpeg versions prior to r14787 and was subsequently exploited by MPlayer and other applications relying on FFmpeg's decoding capabilities. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory pointers during the codec closing process, creating a scenario where the application attempts to free memory locations that may not be valid or properly allocated. The unspecified nature of the impact and attack vectors suggests that this flaw could potentially be leveraged in multiple ways, making it particularly dangerous for systems that process untrusted media content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a race condition or memory corruption scenario where the avcodec_close function encounters random pointer values that it attempts to free, leading to potential arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions. This type of flaw falls under the category of memory safety issues, specifically relating to improper memory deallocation patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-415: Double Free, where memory is freed multiple times, or CWE-416: Use After Free, where memory is accessed after being freed. These classifications highlight the fundamental nature of the flaw as a memory management error that can be exploited to manipulate program execution flow.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes or hangs, as it provides potential attackers with pathways to execute malicious code on systems processing multimedia content. The vulnerability affects applications that utilize FFmpeg's decoding libraries, particularly those handling potentially malicious media files or streams, making it a significant concern for media processing servers, content delivery networks, and applications that automatically process user-uploaded media. The attack surface is broad since any application using FFmpeg's avcodec_close function could be affected, including web browsers, media players, and server-side applications that decode multimedia content. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables attackers to execute code on vulnerable systems through crafted media files.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4868 primarily focus on immediate software updates and patches to FFmpeg versions that address the memory management issues in the avcodec_close function. System administrators should prioritize updating all applications that depend on FFmpeg, particularly those handling untrusted media content, to versions that include the fixed implementation. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization for all media files processed by affected applications can help reduce the attack surface. Network-level protections such as content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms can provide additional layers of defense. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper memory management in multimedia processing libraries and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of media handling components in software applications. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime protections and monitoring systems to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in their multimedia processing pipelines.