CVE-2017-9872 in LAME
Summary
by MITRE
The III_dequantize_sample function in layer3.c in mpglib, as used in libmpgdecoder.a in LAME 3.99.5 and other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted audio file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9872 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw within the mpglib library component of LAME 3.99.5 and related software products. This issue manifests in the III_dequantize_sample function located in the layer3.c file, where improper input validation and memory management practices create exploitable conditions that can be triggered through maliciously crafted audio files. The vulnerability resides in the MPEG audio decoding library that forms the foundation for numerous audio processing applications and media players, making it a widespread concern across the software ecosystem.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the III_dequantize_sample function processes malformed audio data without adequate bounds checking or buffer size validation. Attackers can construct specially crafted audio files that, when processed by affected applications, cause the function to write data beyond the allocated stack buffer boundaries. This overflow condition not only leads to immediate application crashes and denial of service conditions but also potentially enables more sophisticated attacks depending on the target environment and memory layout. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the decoding layer where arbitrary input data is processed, making it accessible through normal audio file playback operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for both end-user applications and server-side audio processing systems. Applications utilizing the affected mpglib component, including media players, audio conversion tools, and streaming services, become vulnerable to remote exploitation through malicious audio file delivery. The denial of service aspect can be leveraged for availability attacks, while the potential for unspecified other impacts suggests possibilities for code execution or privilege escalation depending on the specific implementation and system configuration. This vulnerability affects a broad range of software products that depend on LAME's audio decoding capabilities, making it a high-priority concern for security teams managing multimedia applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9872 should focus on immediate patching of affected LAME versions to 3.100 or later, which contain the necessary fixes for the buffer overflow condition. Organizations should implement input validation measures that restrict audio file processing to known good formats and apply strict file size limits to prevent exploitation through large malformed files. Network-based protections can include content filtering mechanisms that scan audio files for suspicious patterns before processing, while application-level defenses should incorporate proper bounds checking and stack canary implementations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow and can be mapped to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service through code injection. Security monitoring should track for unusual application crash patterns or memory access violations that may indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security audits should verify that all dependencies are updated to secure versions.