CVE-2017-5844 in GStreamer
Summary
by MITRE
The gst_riff_create_audio_caps function in gst-libs/gst/riff/riff-media.c in gst-plugins-base in GStreamer before 1.10.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (floating point exception and crash) via a crafted ASF file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5844 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the GStreamer multimedia framework, specifically affecting the gst-plugins-base component. This issue resides in the gst_riff_create_audio_caps function located in the file gst-libs/gst/riff/riff-media.c, which processes audio capabilities for RIFF media files. The vulnerability manifests when the framework encounters a specially crafted ASF (Advanced Systems Format) file, which is a multimedia container format commonly used for audio and video streaming. The flaw enables remote attackers to trigger system instability through carefully constructed input data, potentially disrupting services that rely on GStreamer for media processing.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the audio capability creation function. When the gst_riff_create_audio_caps function processes malformed ASF files, it fails to properly handle certain floating point operations that occur during the parsing of audio stream parameters. This improper handling leads to a floating point exception, which in turn causes the application to crash and terminate unexpectedly. The vulnerability specifically exploits the way the function interprets audio codec parameters within the RIFF container format, where certain values trigger division by zero or other invalid mathematical operations that are not properly caught or handled by the code's exception management system.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems that utilize GStreamer for media processing, particularly those exposed to untrusted input sources. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can affect streaming services, media servers, content delivery networks, and any application that processes ASF files through the affected GStreamer components. Attackers can remotely exploit this vulnerability by simply providing a maliciously crafted ASF file to a vulnerable system, making it particularly dangerous for web applications, media processing pipelines, and server applications that accept user-uploaded content. The crash behavior can be leveraged for persistent denial of service attacks, potentially leading to availability issues that impact legitimate users and business operations.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-191, which describes integer underflow conditions, and CWE-362, which covers concurrent execution using shared resource vulnerabilities. Additionally, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks through exploitation of system vulnerabilities. The attack surface is particularly wide given that GStreamer is widely deployed across various operating systems and applications, including desktop environments, server applications, and embedded systems. Organizations utilizing media processing frameworks that depend on GStreamer should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader security posture assessment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-5844 primarily involve upgrading to GStreamer version 1.10.3 or later, which includes patches that properly validate input parameters and handle malformed audio stream data. System administrators should implement input sanitization measures for any applications that process ASF files, including validating file headers and implementing proper error handling for media parsing operations. Network-based mitigations can include implementing content filtering rules that block suspicious ASF file types or implementing rate limiting for media processing requests. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify potential exploitation attempts through unusual network traffic patterns related to media file processing. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for outdated GStreamer installations to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities in the broader GStreamer ecosystem.