CVE-2013-0877 in FFmpeg
Summary
by MITRE
The old_codec37 function in libavcodec/sanm.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.3 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via crafted LucasArts Smush data that has a large size when decoded, related to an out-of-bounds array access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0877 resides within the FFmpeg multimedia framework, specifically in the old_codec37 function located in libavcodec/sanm.c. This flaw represents a critical security issue that affects versions of FFmpeg prior to 1.1.3, where the software fails to properly validate input data during the decoding process of LucasArts Smush video files. The vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking mechanisms that allow maliciously crafted data to trigger unexpected behavior during media processing.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves an out-of-bounds array access condition that occurs when FFmpeg attempts to decode LucasArts Smush format files containing oversized data structures. When the old_codec37 function processes such malformed input, it fails to properly validate array indices against the actual size of allocated memory buffers. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-129 vulnerability category, which specifically addresses issues related to insufficient bounds checking of array data access. The improper handling of array boundaries creates a scenario where the application attempts to read or write data beyond the allocated memory space, potentially leading to memory corruption and unpredictable system behavior.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems processing multimedia content, particularly in environments where FFmpeg is used as a backend component for video handling. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially formatted LucasArts Smush files that contain oversized data structures, allowing them to trigger the out-of-bounds access condition. The impact of such exploitation can range from denial of service conditions where the application crashes or becomes unresponsive, to more severe scenarios involving arbitrary code execution depending on the specific system configuration and memory layout. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves the exploitation of input validation weaknesses to achieve system compromise.
The exploitation of CVE-2013-0877 requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely through any application or service that relies on FFmpeg for video processing. The vulnerability affects not only standalone applications but also web services, content management systems, and media processing pipelines that utilize FFmpeg as their underlying multimedia library. Given FFmpeg's widespread adoption across various platforms and applications, this vulnerability presents a substantial attack surface that could be leveraged by threat actors to compromise systems. The remediation approach involves upgrading to FFmpeg version 1.1.3 or later, which includes proper bounds checking mechanisms that prevent the out-of-bounds array access condition from occurring. Additionally, organizations should implement input validation controls and sandboxing techniques to minimize the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in their multimedia processing pipelines.