CVE-2026-92475 in GPAC
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2026
A weakness has been identified in GPAC 26.08-DEV. This impacts the function wait_for_header_and_parse of the file src/utils/downloader.c. This manipulation of the argument Content-Range causes out-of-bounds read. The attack requires local access. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks. Upgrading to version abi-16.26 will fix this issue. Patch name: c74a3065038ede35c1c7b75fa493a69ef6bcdb84. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2026
The vulnerability identified in GPAC version 26.08-DEV represents a critical memory safety flaw located within the file handling subsystem, specifically affecting the wait_for_header_and_parse function found in src/utils/downloader.c. This issue stems from improper validation of input data related to HTTP headers during the download process. When the application processes incoming network responses, it relies on specific header fields to determine how much data to read and where to place that data in memory buffers. The core technical flaw involves a failure to correctly validate or bounds-check the Content-Range header value before using it to calculate buffer offsets. This lack of rigorous input sanitization allows an attacker who can influence this header field to manipulate the internal pointer arithmetic used by the downloader utility.
From a technical perspective, this mismanagement of memory allocation and access boundaries leads directly to an out-of-bounds read condition. In C-based applications like GPAC, which are often written for performance and low-level control, such errors occur when the program attempts to read data from a memory location that lies outside the allocated buffer's designated limits. While out-of-bounds reads typically result in information disclosure rather than immediate code execution, they can still be leveraged by sophisticated attackers as part of a larger exploitation chain. By carefully crafting malicious HTTP responses containing specific Content-Range values, an attacker can force the application to read sensitive memory contents that were not intended for exposure. This could potentially leak internal state information, cryptographic keys, or other private data stored in adjacent memory regions.
The classification of this vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) standards, specifically mapping to CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read. This category encompasses scenarios where a read operation accesses memory beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer. Furthermore, from a tactical standpoint within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this weakness facilitates reconnaissance and collection activities. An attacker might use this flaw to gather intelligence about the target system's configuration or internal structures, which is categorized under techniques such as T1057: Process Discovery or more broadly under initial access vectors that rely on local exploitation if combined with other privileges. The requirement for local access indicates that an adversary must already have some level of foothold within the environment to trigger this specific code path, likely by initiating a download operation through the GPAC interface or interacting with services hosted locally.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant due to the availability of public exploit material. Once proof-of-concept code becomes publicly accessible, the barrier for entry lowers considerably, allowing less skilled threat actors to attempt exploitation against unpatched systems. Although the immediate consequence described is an out-of-bounds read, which primarily threatens confidentiality rather than integrity or availability, the presence of a working exploit increases the risk profile substantially. If this flaw co-occurs with other vulnerabilities in the same memory space, it could potentially be chained to achieve arbitrary code execution via heap corruption techniques that rely on reading specific values to overwrite function pointers or vtables. Therefore, treating this as a high-severity issue is prudent given its exploitability and potential for escalation.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required to update the GPAC installation to version abi-16.26 or later. The development team has addressed the root cause through patch c74a3065038ede35c1c7b75fa493a69ef6bcdb84, which implements stricter validation logic for the Content-Range header and ensures that all memory accesses remain within allocated boundaries. Organizations relying on GPAC for media processing or streaming services should prioritize this upgrade in their patch management cycles. Additionally, implementing network-level controls such as web application firewalls can help filter malformed HTTP headers before they reach the vulnerable component, providing a layer of defense-in-depth while the software update is being deployed. Regular security audits and static analysis tools configured to detect CWE-125 patterns should also be employed to identify similar issues in custom codebases that interact with external data sources.