CVE-2026-107390 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 MP4 parser accepts an attacker-controlled 64-bit extended atom size, converts it to a JavaScript Number, and uses the resulting payload length for atom-specific readToken calls before proving that the atom fits within its parent or the available input. A tiny MP4-family file can route an oversized length into payload parsing for atoms including mvhd, stsd, stsz, and date, causing a large allocation attempt or process failure before end-of-input validation. Applications that parse untrusted MP4-family media can therefore be denied service. This issue is fixed in version 11.16.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2026
The vulnerability identified in the music-metadata library prior to version 11.16.0 represents a critical flaw within its MP4 parser implementation, specifically concerning how extended atom sizes are processed during file parsing operations. The core technical issue stems from an improper validation sequence where the parser accepts attacker-controlled input for a sixty-four-bit extended atom size and immediately converts this value into a JavaScript Number object without first verifying that the specified length is logically consistent with the container structure or the actual available data in the stream. This design oversight allows malicious actors to craft MP4-family media files containing artificially inflated size fields that exceed both the parent atom boundaries and the total file size, thereby bypassing standard structural integrity checks until after the conversion has already occurred.
When this oversized length value is passed to internal readToken calls for specific atoms such as movie header mvhd, sample description stsd, sample sizes stsz, or date metadata fields, the JavaScript engine attempts to allocate memory buffers corresponding to these massive dimensions. Since JavaScript engines typically operate within constrained heap limits and are not designed to handle arbitrarily large allocations derived from untrusted external inputs, this action triggers a catastrophic failure in resource management. The result is either an out-of-memory exception that crashes the parsing process or a denial of service condition where the application becomes unresponsive due to excessive memory consumption attempts before any end-of-input validation can take place to reject the malformed data.
From a security classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-120 Buffer Overflow and CWE-789 Memory Allocation Errors, as it involves handling external input that leads to improper resource allocation without adequate boundary checks. In terms of attack vectors, this flaw is exploitable via ATT&CK technique T1496 Resource Hijacking or potentially T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service if the crash impacts system stability. The operational impact on applications relying on music-metadata for processing untrusted audio and video files is severe, as it enables remote attackers to cause service disruptions simply by uploading a specially crafted media file that triggers the faulty parsing logic during ingestion or preview generation phases.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading to version 11.16.0 of the library where this validation sequence has been corrected to ensure structural integrity checks precede any memory allocation attempts. For environments unable to upgrade immediately, defensive coding practices should be implemented by validating atom sizes against parent boundaries and total file length before invoking parsing functions that rely on these values for buffer sizing. Additionally, implementing strict input sanitization at the application layer to reject files with anomalous metadata structures can provide an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts targeting this specific parser weakness.