CVE-2017-14407 in MP3Gain
Summary
by MITRE
A stack-based buffer over-read was discovered in filterYule in gain_analysis.c in MP3Gain version 1.5.2. The vulnerability causes an application crash, which leads to remote denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14407 represents a critical stack-based buffer over-read condition within the MP3Gain application version 1.5.2. This flaw exists in the filterYule function located in the gain_analysis.c source file, where improper input validation allows maliciously crafted MP3 files to trigger memory access violations. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly bounds-check data read from audio file headers during the gain analysis process, specifically when processing Yule filter coefficients. When an attacker supplies a specially crafted MP3 file containing malformed metadata or audio data, the filterYule function attempts to read beyond the allocated stack buffer boundaries, resulting in undefined behavior and subsequent application termination.
This vulnerability operates at the intersection of software security and multimedia processing, where the attack surface expands due to the complex nature of audio file parsing. The buffer over-read condition manifests as a remote denial of service attack vector, allowing attackers to remotely crash the MP3Gain application without requiring local system access or authentication. The technical execution involves crafting MP3 files with specific header values that cause the gain_analysis.c module to access memory locations beyond the intended buffer limits. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which is classified as a fundamental memory safety issue that has been extensively documented in the software security community. The impact extends beyond simple application instability as it represents a potential precursor to more severe exploitation techniques, particularly when considering the broader context of multimedia processing vulnerabilities.
The operational implications of CVE-2017-14407 are significant for users who rely on MP3Gain for audio normalization tasks, especially in automated environments or networked systems. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to disrupt services by sending malicious MP3 files to systems running MP3Gain, causing unexpected application crashes and potentially system downtime. The vulnerability affects systems where MP3Gain is deployed as a service or integrated into larger audio processing pipelines, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where audio processing automation is common. From an attacker perspective, this represents a low-effort, high-impact method for service disruption, as the attack requires only the ability to upload or deliver malicious MP3 files to target systems. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks through application-level exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-14407 should focus on immediate patching of MP3Gain to version 1.5.3 or later, which contains the necessary buffer bounds checking fixes. System administrators should implement input validation measures to prevent untrusted MP3 files from being processed by MP3Gain applications, including file format verification and size limitations. Network-level protections such as content filtering and intrusion detection systems can help identify and block malicious MP3 file deliveries. Additionally, organizations should consider deploying MP3Gain within sandboxed environments or using alternative audio processing tools that have been verified to handle malformed input more robustly. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management practices in multimedia applications and underscores the need for comprehensive input validation across all file parsing components. Security monitoring should include detection of application crashes or abnormal termination patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that similar buffer over-read conditions do not exist in other audio processing components within the system infrastructure.