CVE-2024-25451 in Bento4
Summary
by MITRE • 02/09/2024
Bento4 v1.6.0-640 was discovered to contain an out-of-memory bug via the AP4_DataBuffer::ReallocateBuffer() function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-25451 affects Bento4 version 1.6.0-640 and represents a critical out-of-memory condition that can be triggered through the AP4_DataBuffer::ReallocateBuffer() function. This issue falls under the broader category of memory management flaws that can lead to system instability and potential exploitation. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of buffer reallocation operations within the Bento4 media processing library, which is commonly used for handling fragmented mp4 files and other multimedia formats. When the AP4_DataBuffer::ReallocateBuffer() function processes certain input data, it fails to properly validate memory allocation requests, leading to excessive memory consumption that can cause the application to crash or behave unpredictably.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of buffer allocation parameters that control how memory is managed during data processing operations. The function appears to lack proper bounds checking or memory limit enforcement when reallocating buffers, allowing maliciously crafted input to trigger continuous memory growth until system resources are exhausted. This type of vulnerability is classified as a memory leak or memory exhaustion issue, which can be leveraged by attackers to perform denial of service attacks against systems processing multimedia content through Bento4. The flaw operates at the application level where buffer management routines fail to account for potential malicious input patterns that could cause uncontrolled memory expansion.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that rely on Bento4 for media processing, particularly in streaming services, content delivery networks, and multimedia applications. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks when combined with other vulnerabilities or when deployed in environments with limited memory resources. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in server environments where Bento4 might be processing untrusted input from multiple sources simultaneously, as the memory exhaustion could be exploited to bring down entire service infrastructure. Organizations using this library in production environments face potential downtime and service disruption risks that could affect user experience and business operations.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2024-25451 requires immediate patching of the Bento4 library to version 1.6.0-641 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for buffer reallocation logic. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring for memory usage patterns and establish automated alerting mechanisms when memory consumption exceeds normal operational thresholds. Additionally, input validation should be strengthened at all processing points to prevent malicious data from reaching the vulnerable buffer management functions. The fix aligns with common security practices for memory management vulnerabilities and follows industry standards such as those outlined in CWE-129 and CWE-772, which address improper input validation and resource exhaustion issues. Organizations should also consider implementing sandboxing techniques for media processing operations and establishing proper resource limits for memory allocation to mitigate the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in other components of their multimedia processing pipelines.