CVE-2015-6749 in vorbis-tools
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the aiff_open function in oggenc/audio.c in vorbis-tools 1.4.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted AIFF file.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6749 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the vorbis-tools software suite, specifically affecting the aiff_open function located in oggenc/audio.c. This issue impacts versions 1.4.0 and earlier, creating a remote attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to trigger a denial of service condition through the careful crafting of AIFF audio files. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the audio file parsing mechanism, where the application fails to properly bounds-check data when processing AIFF file headers and metadata structures. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to read and process malformed AIFF data that exceeds allocated buffer boundaries, leading to memory corruption and subsequent application crash. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, though it could also be classified as CWE-787 for heap-based buffer overflow depending on the specific memory allocation patterns used during processing. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it allows remote exploitation without requiring authentication, making it accessible to any attacker who can deliver a malicious AIFF file to a system running vulnerable vorbis-tools software. The operational impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged in broader attack chains where the denial of service serves as a precursor to more sophisticated exploitation attempts. Systems utilizing vorbis-tools for audio processing, encoding, or conversion tasks are at risk, particularly those that automatically process or accept user-uploaded audio files from untrusted sources.
The technical exploitation of this buffer overflow requires careful construction of AIFF file headers that manipulate the expected data structure sizes and offsets within the file format. Attackers can craft AIFF files containing oversized metadata fields or malformed chunk sizes that cause the aiff_open function to allocate insufficient memory buffers for processing. When the application attempts to read the crafted data, it writes beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, potentially overwriting adjacent memory locations including stack canaries, return addresses, or other critical program state information. This memory corruption directly results in segmentation faults or access violations that terminate the application process, effectively creating a denial of service condition. The vulnerability demonstrates poor defensive programming practices and highlights the importance of input validation and bounds checking in multimedia processing applications. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation, though it primarily functions as an initial access vector for service disruption. The attack requires minimal sophistication but can be automated through file delivery mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous in environments where automated processing of user content occurs.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-6749 focus on both immediate remediation and long-term defensive measures. The primary and most effective solution involves upgrading to vorbis-tools version 1.4.1 or later, where the buffer overflow has been addressed through proper bounds checking and input validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement automated patch management processes to ensure all systems running vulnerable software are promptly updated. Additionally, deploying input validation controls at network boundaries or application firewalls can help filter out potentially malicious AIFF files before they reach vulnerable systems. The implementation of sandboxing or containerization for audio processing tasks provides an additional layer of defense by isolating the vulnerable components from critical system resources. Memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and data execution prevention should be enabled to reduce the impact of any potential exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing of multimedia processing pipelines are recommended to identify similar vulnerabilities in other audio handling components. Organizations should also establish secure coding practices for multimedia applications, emphasizing the importance of bounds checking, input validation, and proper memory management. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual application crashes or service disruptions that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding guidelines and conducting thorough code reviews for applications handling external data formats, particularly those involving binary file parsing and multimedia processing. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing denial of service attacks targeting multimedia processing systems.