CVE-2011-4352 in FFmpeg
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in the vp3_dequant function in the VP3 decoder (vp3.c) in libavcodec in FFmpeg 0.5.x before 0.5.7, 0.6.x before 0.6.4, 0.7.x before 0.7.9, and 0.8.x before 0.8.8; and in Libav 0.5.x before 0.5.6, 0.6.x before 0.6.4, and 0.7.x before 0.7.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted VP3 stream, which triggers a buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4352 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the VP3 decoder component of FFmpeg and Libav multimedia frameworks. This issue resides in the vp3_dequant function located in the vp3.c source file, where improper handling of integer arithmetic creates conditions that can lead to severe system instability. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of both FFmpeg and Libav, spanning from 0.5.x through 0.8.x releases, with specific patch versions identified for each major version line. The flaw manifests when processing specially crafted VP3 video streams that exploit the integer overflow condition during dequantization operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking and overflow protection within the dequantization process. During VP3 video decoding, the vp3_dequant function performs mathematical operations that involve integer values representing buffer sizes and memory allocation parameters. When these integers exceed their maximum representable values, they wrap around to negative numbers or zero, causing subsequent memory operations to access invalid memory locations. This integer overflow condition directly translates to a buffer overflow scenario where the decoder attempts to write data beyond allocated memory boundaries, leading to memory corruption and potential code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-4352 extends beyond simple denial of service to encompass potential remote code execution capabilities. Attackers can craft malicious VP3 streams that trigger the integer overflow during decoding, causing the affected application to crash or potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the decoding process. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in multimedia processing environments where applications automatically decode and display content from untrusted sources, such as web browsers, media players, and content management systems. The exploitability of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 by leveraging application weaknesses to achieve remote code execution through crafted input data.
From a security standards perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-190, which describes integer overflow conditions where an integer value exceeds the maximum representable value for that type. The flaw also demonstrates characteristics of CWE-129, representing improper validation of array indices, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic path to privilege escalation and system compromise through buffer overflow exploitation. Organizations using affected versions of FFmpeg or Libav should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions, implementing input validation controls, and deploying network segmentation measures to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability in production environments.