CVE-2016-9958 in game-music-emu
Summary
by MITRE
game-music-emu before 0.6.1 allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary memory locations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9958 affects the game-music-emu library version 0.6.1 and earlier, representing a critical memory corruption flaw that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through improper input validation. This library serves as a software emulator for various video game music formats including NSF, NSFE, and other chiptune audio files, commonly integrated into multimedia applications, game emulators, and music players across multiple platforms. The flaw manifests when the library processes malformed or maliciously crafted audio files without adequate bounds checking or input sanitization, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory layout and potentially execute malicious code within the context of the vulnerable application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of input parameters within the audio file parsing routines, specifically affecting how the library handles certain metadata fields or audio data structures. When processing specially crafted audio files, the library fails to properly validate array indices or buffer boundaries, allowing attackers to write data beyond allocated memory regions. This memory corruption vulnerability directly maps to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds write flaws. The attack vector is remote, meaning that an attacker can exploit this vulnerability through network-delivered malicious audio files without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for applications that automatically process user-supplied media content.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-9958 extends beyond simple memory corruption, as successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise through various attack techniques. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service conditions that disrupt legitimate system operations. Applications utilizing the affected library include popular game emulators, music players, and multimedia frameworks that automatically scan and process audio content from untrusted sources. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that users could be compromised simply by opening or previewing malicious audio files, making it particularly dangerous in web browsers, media players, or applications that automatically process user-uploaded content. This flaw significantly increases the attack surface for systems running vulnerable software and can be exploited through various delivery mechanisms including email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-9958 require immediate patching of the game-music-emu library to version 0.6.1 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and input validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive vulnerability management processes to identify all systems utilizing the affected library and ensure timely updates across their infrastructure. Network-based defenses should include content filtering mechanisms that scan audio files for suspicious patterns, while application-level protections can be implemented through sandboxing techniques and input validation layers that prevent malformed data from reaching the vulnerable library components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation, highlighting the need for layered defensive measures including regular security assessments, intrusion detection systems, and application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized code execution. Additionally, developers should adopt secure coding practices that emphasize input validation, memory safety, and proper error handling to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future implementations of multimedia processing libraries.