CVE-2018-19800
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-19800 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in aubio's tempo detection function that allows remote code execution. Attackers can exploit this by sending specially crafted audio data to trigger the overflow. Any system running vulnerable aubio versions that processes untrusted audio input is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- aubio
📦 What is this software?
Aubio by Aubio
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with full system compromise, allowing attackers to install malware, steal data, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Application crash leading to denial of service, with potential for remote code execution in systems processing untrusted audio files.
If Mitigated
Limited to denial of service if proper memory protections (ASLR, DEP) are enabled and exploit fails.
🎯 Exploit Status
Buffer overflow in tempo detection function requires sending malicious audio data; exploit development is straightforward given the nature of the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.4.9 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/aubio/aubio/blob/0.4.9/ChangeLog
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update aubio to version 0.4.9 or later using your package manager. 2. For Linux: 'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade aubio' (Debian/Ubuntu) or 'sudo yum update aubio' (RHEL/CentOS). 3. Restart any services or applications using aubio.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable tempo detection
allTemporarily disable or remove aubio's tempo detection functionality if not essential.
Modify application code to avoid calling new_aubio_tempo() function
Input validation
allImplement strict validation of audio input sources and file formats.
Add file type verification and size limits before processing
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Network segmentation: Isolate systems running vulnerable aubio versions from untrusted networks.
- Application control: Restrict which users/applications can execute aubio and monitor for unusual activity.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check aubio version: 'aubio --version' or 'dpkg -l | grep aubio' or 'rpm -q aubio'. If version is between 0.4.0 and 0.4.8 inclusive, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
aubio --version 2>/dev/null || dpkg -l | grep aubio || rpm -q aubio || echo 'aubio not found'Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 0.4.9 or later using same commands, then test audio processing functionality works correctly.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with segmentation faults in aubio processes
- Unusual memory allocation patterns in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected audio file uploads to services using aubio
- Network traffic spikes to audio processing endpoints
SIEM Query:
process_name:aubio AND (event_type:crash OR memory_usage:anomalous)🔗 References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00063.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00067.html
- https://github.com/aubio/aubio/blob/0.4.9/ChangeLog
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IYIKPYXZIWYWWNNORSKWRCFFCP6AFMRZ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OHIRMWW4JQ6UHJK4AVBJLFRLE2TPKC2W/
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00063.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00067.html
- https://github.com/aubio/aubio/blob/0.4.9/ChangeLog
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IYIKPYXZIWYWWNNORSKWRCFFCP6AFMRZ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OHIRMWW4JQ6UHJK4AVBJLFRLE2TPKC2W/
