CVE-2025-71467 in GPAC
Summary
by MITRE • 11/15/2026
GPAC before 26.02.0 contains a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in gf_node_get_field_by_name() in src/scenegraph/base_scenegraph.c that lets attackers crash applications. Attackers can supply a crafted XMT scene referencing a never-created node to crash MP4Box or GPAC scene loader applications, causing denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2026
The vulnerability identified in versions of the GPAC multimedia framework prior to release 26.02.0 represents a critical stability issue rooted in improper input validation within its core scenegraph processing logic. Specifically, the flaw resides in the gf_node_get_field_by_name function located in the src/scenegraph/base_scenegraph.c source file. This component is responsible for retrieving specific fields from nodes within a 3D scene graph structure, which is fundamental to how GPAC renders and processes multimedia content such as MPEG-4 scenes. The underlying technical defect occurs when the application attempts to access a node that has not been properly instantiated or initialized in memory. Instead of checking whether the pointer referencing this non-existent node is valid before dereferencing it, the code proceeds directly with the operation, leading to an attempt to read from or write to a null memory address. This behavior classifies as a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability, which corresponds to CWE-476 in the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. Such errors typically arise when developers assume that certain objects will always exist based on logical flow rather than verifying their actual presence at runtime, creating an exploitable condition for attackers who can manipulate input data structures.
The operational impact of this flaw is primarily a denial of service against applications utilizing GPAC libraries, most notably MP4Box and the GPAC scene loader. An attacker can craft a malicious XMT file, which is part of the MPEG-4 Part 17 standard for binary formats of XML-based scenes, that explicitly references nodes or fields that have not been created during the parsing process. When this crafted file is loaded by an affected application, the gf_node_get_field_by_name function encounters the null pointer and triggers a segmentation fault or similar crash mechanism within the operating system. This results in the immediate termination of the host application without saving any unsaved work or providing meaningful error feedback to the user. For end-users who rely on these tools for media conversion, editing, or playback, this constitutes a significant reliability issue. In scenarios where GPAC is integrated into larger systems or services that process untrusted multimedia content automatically, such as web-based converters or automated media pipelines, this vulnerability could be leveraged to disrupt service availability by causing repeated crashes upon processing maliciously crafted inputs.
From an offensive security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique of Application Crash for Denial of Service, where adversaries aim to degrade system reliability rather than compromise confidentiality or integrity directly. While a simple crash may seem less severe than remote code execution, it serves as a foundational step in more complex attack chains. For instance, crashing an application can be used to bypass security controls that rely on continuous operation, such as logging mechanisms or stateful firewalls embedded within the application layer. Furthermore, if this vulnerability exists in a service component rather than a standalone desktop tool, it could facilitate resource exhaustion attacks where repeated requests cause the server process to restart continuously, consuming CPU and memory resources until the system becomes unresponsive. The lack of robust error handling means that even minor variations in input can trigger these crashes, making exploitation relatively straightforward for anyone with access to the XMT file format specification or tools capable of generating such files.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate patching and long-term defensive coding practices. The primary remediation is to upgrade GPAC to version 26.02.0 or later, where this specific NULL pointer dereference has been addressed by implementing proper null checks before accessing node fields. For organizations unable to immediately update their software libraries, deploying input validation filters at the network perimeter can help block known malicious XMT files containing references to non-existent nodes if signatures are available in threat intelligence feeds. Additionally, developers integrating GPAC into custom applications should implement robust exception handling and crash recovery mechanisms to ensure that a failure in one file does not bring down the entire service. Enabling core dump analysis during testing phases can also help identify similar patterns of improper pointer usage elsewhere in the codebase. Ultimately, adhering to secure coding standards that mandate explicit validation of all external inputs before processing is essential to preventing such memory safety violations and ensuring the resilience of multimedia processing applications against malformed data attacks.