CVE-2019-17528 in Bento4
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Bento4 1.5.1.0. There is a SEGV in the function AP4_TfhdAtom::SetDefaultSampleSize at Core/Ap4TfhdAtom.h when called from AP4_Processor::ProcessFragments in Core/Ap4Processor.cpp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-17528 represents a critical memory corruption issue within the Bento4 multimedia framework version 1.5.1.0. This flaw manifests as a segmentation fault occurring in the AP4_TfhdAtom::SetDefaultSampleSize function, which is part of the Core/Ap4TfhdAtom.h header file. The issue arises when this function is invoked through the AP4_Processor::ProcessFragments method located in Core/Ap4Processor.cpp, creating a chain of function calls that ultimately leads to system instability and potential crash conditions. The Bento4 framework is widely used for processing and generating multimedia content, particularly in environments where mp4 and fragmented mp4 files are handled, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for applications that process user-supplied media files.
The technical nature of this vulnerability can be classified as a buffer overflow or memory corruption issue that stems from improper input validation within the fragment processing pipeline. When the AP4_TfhdAtom::SetDefaultSampleSize function attempts to handle certain malformed or specially crafted fragment data, it fails to properly validate the input parameters before performing memory operations. This failure results in a segmentation fault that terminates the application process and potentially provides an attacker with an opportunity to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically affects the handling of default sample size parameters within the track fragment header atom, which is a fundamental component of fragmented mp4 file structures. This issue aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are common manifestations of memory corruption vulnerabilities in multimedia processing libraries.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-17528 extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors. Systems that rely on Bento4 for processing multimedia content, including content management systems, streaming platforms, and media processing applications, become vulnerable to remote code execution or denial of service attacks when handling maliciously crafted mp4 files. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where user-uploaded content is processed automatically, as attackers could craft specially designed media files to trigger the segmentation fault and potentially exploit the system. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploiting software vulnerabilities to gain system access, and T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks. The flaw's location within the fragment processing pipeline means that any application using Bento4 for handling fragmented media content is at risk, including web applications, mobile apps, and server-side processing systems that handle media file conversions or streaming operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the Bento4 framework to version 1.6.0 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the memory corruption issue. Organizations should implement input validation measures that sanitize all media files before processing, particularly when handling user-uploaded content, to prevent malformed fragments from reaching the vulnerable code paths. Additionally, deploying intrusion detection systems that monitor for unusual memory access patterns or segmentation fault occurrences can help identify potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and privilege separation should be implemented to limit the impact of successful exploitation, while regular security audits of multimedia processing pipelines can help identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. The fix typically involves adding proper bounds checking and input validation within the AP4_TfhdAtom::SetDefaultSampleSize function to prevent invalid memory operations when processing fragment headers, ensuring that all parameters are validated before any memory allocation or modification occurs.