CVE-2026-90576 in GPAC
Summary
by MITRE • 09/13/2026
A security vulnerability has been detected in GPAC up to f1219cde. Affected is the function gf_node_list_add_child of the file scenegraph/base_scenegraph.c of the component MP4Box. Such manipulation leads to null pointer dereference. The attack can only be performed from a local environment. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. Upgrading to version abi-16.23 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is 49dee5cad329cfed310c1682703df7daa47df31a. You should upgrade the affected component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2026
The vulnerability identified in GPAC, specifically within the MP4Box utility up to commit f1219cde, represents a critical memory safety issue located in the scenegraph base module. The flaw resides within the gf_node_list_add_child function found in the source file scenegraph/base_scenegraph.c. This component is responsible for managing node hierarchies within multimedia files, particularly those involving MPEG-4 systems and scene graphs. When processing malformed or specially crafted input data, this function fails to adequately validate pointers before attempting to access them, leading directly to a null pointer dereference. Such an error occurs when the software attempts to read from or write to a memory address that has not been allocated or is otherwise invalid, specifically where the expected node object is absent but treated as present by the execution flow.
From a technical perspective, this null pointer dereference constitutes a classic implementation flaw often categorized under CWE-476, which denotes NULL Pointer Dereference. The root cause lies in insufficient error handling during the construction of scene graph nodes. When gf_node_list_add_child is invoked with parameters that result in an invalid or missing child node reference, the function proceeds to manipulate data structures assuming a valid object exists. This lack of defensive programming allows attackers who can supply maliciously crafted multimedia files to trigger this condition. The immediate operational impact of exploiting this vulnerability typically results in application crashes, leading to denial-of-service conditions for users processing untrusted media content. In certain contexts, depending on the specific execution environment and compiler optimizations, such memory corruption could potentially be leveraged further to achieve arbitrary code execution, although the primary reported effect is stability failure through segmentation faults or similar exceptions.
The attack vector associated with this vulnerability requires local access to the system running MP4Box. This constraint implies that an attacker must have some level of authenticated access to execute commands or place files within directories accessible by the vulnerable application. While remote exploitation via network services is not directly indicated, the risk remains significant in environments where users process media files from untrusted sources locally, such as content creators working with raw assets or automated systems processing uploaded media before further distribution. The public disclosure of exploit code means that threat actors can readily utilize existing tools to demonstrate this flaw against vulnerable installations without needing to develop custom payloads from scratch. This lowers the barrier for entry and increases the likelihood of successful exploitation by opportunistic attackers targeting systems running outdated versions of GPAC.
To mitigate this risk, it is imperative to upgrade the affected component to version abi-16.23 or later. The developers have addressed this issue through patch 49dee5cad329cfed310c1682703df7daa47df31a, which introduces proper validation checks within gf_node_list_add_child to ensure that node references are valid before dereferencing them. Organizations and individual users relying on MP4Box for media processing should prioritize this update as part of their routine maintenance cycles. Additionally, implementing input sanitization strategies at the application layer can provide defense-in-depth against malformed inputs. Monitoring system logs for frequent crashes or segmentation faults related to GPAC processes may also serve as an early warning indicator of attempted exploitation in environments where immediate patching is not yet feasible. Adhering to these remediation steps aligns with general security best practices outlined by industry standards such as the Common Weakness Enumeration and helps maintain the integrity and availability of multimedia processing workflows.