CVE-2018-19887 in Freeware Advanced Audio Coder
Summary
by MITRE
An invalid memory address dereference was discovered in the huffcode function (libfaac/huff2.c) in Freeware Advanced Audio Coder (FAAC) 1.29.9.2. The vulnerability causes a segmentation fault and application crash, which leads to denial of service in the book 4 case.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19887 represents a critical memory safety issue within the Freeware Advanced Audio Coder (FAAC) library version 1.29.9.2. This flaw exists in the huffcode function located in the libfaac/huff2.c source file, where an invalid memory address dereference occurs during audio encoding operations. The flaw specifically manifests when processing certain audio data patterns that trigger the function to attempt accessing memory at an invalid address, leading to system instability and application termination.
This memory dereference vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking within the audio compression algorithm implementation. The huffcode function, which is responsible for Huffman coding operations during audio encoding, fails to properly validate the memory addresses it attempts to access during the encoding process. When malformed or unexpected audio data is processed, the function executes a memory access operation that points to an invalid memory location, resulting in a segmentation fault that crashes the entire application. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it occurs in the context of audio file processing where attackers could potentially craft malicious audio files to trigger this condition.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-19887 extends beyond simple application crashes to create significant denial of service conditions within systems that rely on FAAC for audio processing. This vulnerability affects any software application that utilizes the FAAC library for encoding audio files, including media players, audio editing software, and content management systems that process user-uploaded audio content. The segmentation fault generated by this flaw can cause cascading failures in applications that depend on FAAC, potentially leading to complete system unavailability when the affected applications crash during audio processing operations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in server environments where multiple concurrent audio processing requests could be exploited to repeatedly crash the service, creating persistent denial of service conditions.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-476 which identifies NULL pointer dereference as a common memory safety issue, though this specific case involves invalid memory address dereference rather than NULL pointer access. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which involves network denial of service attacks through application-level vulnerabilities. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the FAAC library to version 1.29.9.3 or later, which contains the necessary memory validation fixes. Additionally, applications should implement input sanitization measures and robust error handling around audio file processing functions to prevent exploitation. System administrators should monitor for applications using vulnerable FAAC versions and ensure proper software updates are deployed across all affected systems to prevent potential exploitation by malicious actors seeking to disrupt audio processing services.