CVE-2022-24902 in TkVideoplayer
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2022
TkVideoplayer is a simple library to play video files in tkinter. Uncontrolled memory consumption in versions of TKVideoplayer prior to 2.0.0 can theoretically lead to performance degradation. There are no known workarounds. This issue has been patched and users are advised to upgrade to version 2.0.0 or later.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-24902 affects TkVideoplayer, a library designed for video playback within tkinter applications. This library serves as a bridge between the tkinter graphical user interface framework and video processing capabilities, enabling developers to integrate multimedia functionality into their desktop applications. The issue manifests as uncontrolled memory consumption that can theoretically result in significant performance degradation, impacting the overall stability and responsiveness of applications that rely on this library.
The technical flaw resides in the memory management mechanisms of TkVideoplayer versions prior to 2.0.0, where the library fails to properly release memory resources after video processing operations. This memory leak behavior occurs during the video playback lifecycle, particularly when handling multiple video files or extended playback sessions. The vulnerability represents a classic case of memory exhaustion that can accumulate over time, leading to system resource depletion and potential application crashes. According to CWE classification, this corresponds to CWE-401: Improper Release of Memory Before Removing Last Reference, which specifically addresses inadequate memory deallocation practices in software components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation to potentially compromise system stability and user experience. Applications utilizing affected versions of TkVideoplayer may experience progressive slowdowns, increased memory usage, and eventually complete system instability when processing multiple video files or maintaining long-running video playback sessions. The absence of known workarounds means that developers cannot implement temporary fixes while waiting for the official patch, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for production environments where reliability is paramount.
Security practitioners should note that while this vulnerability primarily affects performance rather than introducing direct security exploits, it creates conditions that could be leveraged by attackers to perform resource exhaustion attacks or denial of service scenarios. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, as the uncontrolled memory consumption can effectively render systems unusable through resource exhaustion. Organizations using TkVideoplayer in their applications should prioritize upgrading to version 2.0.0 or later, as this update addresses the memory management issues and implements proper resource cleanup mechanisms. The patch demonstrates responsible vulnerability disclosure and remediation practices that align with industry standards for maintaining software security and reliability.