CVE-2018-7339 in MP4v2
Summary
by MITRE
The MP4Atom class in mp4atom.cpp in MP4v2 through 2.0.0 mishandles Entry Number validation for the MP4 Table Property, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (overflow, insufficient memory allocation, and segmentation fault) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted mp4 file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7339 resides within the MP4v2 library version 2.0.0 and earlier, specifically in the MP4Atom class implementation found in mp4atom.cpp. This flaw represents a critical security issue that demonstrates poor input validation handling for MP4 table properties, particularly concerning Entry Number validation mechanisms. The MP4v2 library serves as a widely-used open source implementation for reading and writing MP4 files, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for applications that process multimedia content from untrusted sources.
The technical flaw manifests when the MP4Atom class processes MP4 files containing malformed table properties where the Entry Number field is improperly validated. This validation failure occurs during the parsing of MP4 atom structures, specifically when handling the MP4 Table Property format. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking and memory allocation calculations based on the malicious Entry Number value provided in the crafted MP4 file. When an attacker supplies a specially crafted MP4 file with an oversized or malformed Entry Number, the library fails to properly validate this input before proceeding with memory allocation operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially encompass more severe consequences including segmentation faults and insufficient memory allocation errors. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious MP4 files that trigger integer overflows during the memory allocation process, leading to system instability and potential application crashes. The vulnerability's reach is amplified by the widespread use of MP4v2 across various multimedia applications, operating systems, and embedded devices that rely on this library for MP4 file processing. This makes the attack surface particularly broad, affecting anything from media players to content management systems and mobile applications that handle MP4 media files.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of the length of a field, and more specifically relates to CWE-190, indicating integer overflow. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1203, which covers Obfuscated Files or Information, as attackers may use crafted MP4 files to evade detection while exploiting this memory handling flaw. The exploitation process typically involves preparing a malicious MP4 file with carefully constructed table properties that cause the library to allocate insufficient memory or trigger integer overflows. This vulnerability also relates to T1499, which covers Network Denial of Service, as successful exploitation can cause remote denial of service conditions in applications that process MP4 files. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to MP4v2 version 2.1.0 or later, where the Entry Number validation has been properly implemented to prevent the overflow conditions and memory allocation issues. Additionally, input sanitization and validation should be implemented at application layers that process MP4 files, and proper error handling should be enforced to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other components of the multimedia processing pipeline.