CVE-2017-11333 in libvorbis
Summary
by MITRE
The vorbis_analysis_wrote function in lib/block.c in Xiph.Org libvorbis 1.3.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (OOM) via a crafted wav file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11333 resides within the libvorbis library version 1.3.5 developed by Xiph.Org, specifically within the vorbis_analysis_wrote function located in the lib/block.c file. This flaw represents a critical denial of service vulnerability that can be exploited by remote attackers through the careful crafting of wav files designed to trigger memory allocation issues. The vulnerability manifests when the library processes malformed audio files that contain specially constructed data structures which cause the analysis component to allocate excessive memory resources beyond normal operational bounds.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the vorbis_analysis_wrote function. When processing a crafted wav file, the function fails to properly validate the incoming data stream and does not implement adequate bounds checking for memory allocation requests. This allows an attacker to construct wav files containing malicious metadata or audio data that, when parsed by the vulnerable libvorbis library, triggers uncontrolled memory expansion. The function's lack of proper resource limiting mechanisms means that memory allocation requests can grow exponentially or reach unreasonable sizes, leading to system resource exhaustion and ultimately causing the application to crash or become unresponsive.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11333 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can affect any software application that relies on libvorbis for audio processing, including media players, content management systems, web browsers, and multimedia frameworks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform remote denial of service attacks against systems processing audio content, potentially affecting web services, streaming platforms, and applications that accept user-uploaded audio files. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because wav files are common media formats that are frequently processed by applications, making exploitation relatively straightforward and widespread across different platforms and software ecosystems.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-122 (Heap Overflow) and CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) categories, representing both heap-based memory corruption and resource exhaustion threats. The attack pattern follows ATT&CK technique T1499.004 (Endpoint Denial of Service) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) when considering the broader exploitation landscape. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of libvorbis to version 1.3.6 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed through improved input validation and memory allocation controls. Additionally, implementing proper file validation, setting memory limits on audio processing components, and deploying network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious wav file patterns will help reduce the attack surface and prevent successful exploitation attempts.
The remediation approach requires system administrators and developers to update all affected installations of libvorbis to patched versions that include proper bounds checking and memory management improvements. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation procedures for all audio file processing workflows and consider deploying sandboxing mechanisms to isolate audio processing components from critical system resources. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potential instances of similar memory management flaws in multimedia processing libraries, as this type of vulnerability often indicates broader architectural weaknesses in resource handling that may affect other components of the software stack.