CVE-2017-8419 in LAME
Summary
by MITRE
LAME through 3.99.5 relies on the signed integer data type for values in a WAV or AIFF header, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow or heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted file, as demonstrated by mishandling of num_channels.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8419 affects the LAME audio encoding library version 3.99.5 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw that stems from improper handling of signed integer data types within WAV and AIFF file headers. This issue manifests when the library processes audio files containing maliciously crafted header values that exploit the signed integer overflow behavior, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures during file parsing operations.
The technical flaw resides in how LAME interprets the num_channels field within audio file headers, where signed integers are used to represent channel counts. When an attacker crafts a file with an oversized or malformed channel value, the library's parsing logic fails to properly validate these signed integer inputs, leading to potential stack-based or heap-based buffer overflows. This occurs because the signed integer overflow can cause unexpected behavior in memory allocation calculations, where the overflowed values may result in insufficient buffer sizing or incorrect memory pointer arithmetic. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to manipulate the integer values in such a way that they can force the application to allocate memory in unexpected locations or sizes, potentially leading to memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it provides attackers with opportunities to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability. When a vulnerable application processes the maliciously crafted audio file, the buffer overflow conditions can result in crashes, application hangs, or potentially more severe consequences including code execution. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest that depending on the specific environment and memory layout, attackers might be able to leverage this flaw to gain additional privileges or access system resources. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for applications that process untrusted audio files, such as media players, audio editing software, or any system that relies on LAME for audio transcoding operations.
Organizations and developers should implement immediate mitigations including updating to LAME versions beyond 3.99.5 where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper input validation and integer overflow handling. The fix typically involves implementing bounds checking on integer values extracted from file headers, ensuring that channel counts and other numerical fields are validated against reasonable limits before being used in memory allocation calculations. Additionally, developers should employ static analysis tools and dynamic testing methodologies to identify similar integer overflow patterns in their codebases, as this vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign data type handling can lead to severe security consequences. The issue aligns with CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, when exploited in media processing applications. System administrators should also consider implementing file validation procedures for audio files, particularly when these files originate from untrusted sources or are processed automatically by applications that may be vulnerable to this class of attack.