CVE-2026-107389 in music-metadata
Summary
by MITRE • 10/08/2026
music-metadata is a metadata parser for audio and video media files. Prior to 11.16.0, the Matroska and WebM EBML parser decodes an attacker-controlled VINT element length and uses it for string-token or Uint8Array allocation before confirming that the leaf fits within its parent or available input. Crafted WebM, MKV, or MKA inputs can cause disproportionate allocations, out-of-memory denial of service, or, for a demonstrated parseFile path on Node.js 26.7.0, an uncatchable V8 fatal abort. The exact failure mode depends on the tokenizer, parser API, and runtime, but the affected leaf-length validation flaw is shared and has availability impact only. This issue is fixed in version 11.16.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2026
The music-metadata library serves as a critical utility for parsing metadata embedded within audio and video media files, supporting formats such as Matroska (MKV), WebM, and MKA. These containers utilize the EBML binary format to structure data elements, which include variable-length integers known as VINTs that define the length of subsequent data fields. In versions prior to 11.16.0, a critical logic flaw exists within the parser's handling of these VINT-decoded lengths. Specifically, when processing an attacker-controlled element, the library allocates memory for string tokens or Uint8Array buffers based on the decoded length value before performing any validation checks to ensure that the leaf node fits within its parent container structure or does not exceed the available input data size. This out-of-order execution of allocation versus validation creates a significant security vulnerability where maliciously crafted inputs can trigger disproportionate resource consumption.
The operational impact of this flaw is primarily centered on availability, manifesting as an out-of-memory denial of service condition. By supplying a WebM, MKV, or MKA file with a VINT element length that decodes to an excessively large value, an attacker forces the application to allocate memory far beyond its intended capacity or available system resources. This disproportionate allocation can exhaust the heap space of the running process, causing it to crash or become unresponsive. In specific runtime environments, such as Node.js version 26.7.0 utilizing a demonstrated parseFile path, this flaw can lead to an uncatchable V8 fatal abort. Unlike standard JavaScript exceptions that might be caught and handled gracefully by application code, a V8 fatal abort terminates the entire process immediately, making it impossible for higher-level error handlers to mitigate the crash or recover from the state corruption caused by the malformed input.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which describes uncontrolled resource consumption, as the root cause is the failure to validate and limit resource allocation based on external input before committing system resources. Furthermore, it relates to CWE-1321, concerning improper handling of variable-length integer decoding, where the implementation fails to enforce bounds checking prior to memory operations. From an offensive security perspective, this flaw can be leveraged in attacks categorized under MITRE ATT&CK technique T1496, Resource Hijacking, specifically through denial-of-service mechanisms that disrupt service availability by exhausting computational resources. The vulnerability highlights a common pitfall in binary parsing libraries where performance optimizations or simplified logic paths bypass necessary safety checks for malformed data structures.
To mitigate this risk, organizations relying on the music-metadata library must upgrade to version 11.16.0 or later, which implements proper validation of leaf lengths against parent constraints and available input boundaries before any memory allocation occurs. For systems that cannot immediately update due to dependency conflicts, implementing a wrapper layer that validates file integrity or limits processing depth may provide partial protection, though upgrading remains the only definitive remediation. Developers should also ensure that their media parsing pipelines include robust error handling for unexpected termination events, although this does not prevent the initial resource exhaustion caused by the vulnerability itself. Regular auditing of third-party dependencies and maintaining an up-to-date inventory of library versions is essential to preventing exposure to such logic flaws in widely used multimedia processing tools.