CVE-2022-38530 in GPAC
Summary
by MITRE • 09/07/2022
GPAC v2.1-DEV-rev232-gfcaa01ebb-master was discovered to contain a stack overflow when processing ISOM_IOD.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-38530 affects GPAC version 2.1-DEV-rev232-gfcaa01ebb-master and represents a critical stack overflow condition that occurs during the processing of ISOM_IOD structures. This flaw exists within the multimedia processing framework of GPAC, which is widely used for handling various digital media formats including mp4 and other iso base media file format containers. The stack overflow vulnerability manifests when the application attempts to parse and process ISOM_IOD (International Organization for Standardization Information Object Descriptor) data structures, which are fundamental components in managing metadata and object descriptions within multimedia files.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and buffer management within the ISOM_IOD processing module. When an attacker crafts maliciously formatted ISOM_IOD data, the application fails to properly bounds-check the incoming data before copying it into fixed-size stack buffers. This lack of proper validation creates an exploitable condition where an attacker can overwrite adjacent stack memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow, which represents a well-known and dangerous class of memory corruption vulnerabilities that have been extensively documented in the security community.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it can potentially enable remote code execution on systems running vulnerable versions of GPAC. Attackers could leverage this flaw by embedding malicious ISOM_IOD structures within crafted media files or streaming content that would be processed by applications using the affected GPAC library. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter untrusted media content, such as web browsers, media players, or content management systems that utilize GPAC for multimedia processing. The exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Organizations and developers should prioritize immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including updating to the latest stable version of GPAC where the stack overflow has been patched. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1203 as Exploitation for Client Execution, highlighting the potential for attackers to leverage such memory corruption flaws for unauthorized access. Additional defensive measures should include implementing strict input validation for all multimedia content processing, deploying network segmentation to limit exposure, and conducting regular security assessments of multimedia processing pipelines. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of adhering to secure coding practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices, particularly regarding buffer management and input validation to prevent similar issues in future development cycles.