CVE-2019-13222
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in stb_vorbis library allows attackers to cause denial of service or leak sensitive memory contents by tricking applications into processing specially crafted Ogg Vorbis audio files. It affects any software using vulnerable versions of stb_vorbis for audio decoding, particularly media players, games, and multimedia applications.
💻 Affected Systems
- stb_vorbis library
- Any software embedding stb_vorbis
📦 What is this software?
Stb Vorbis by Stb Vorbis Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, though this specific CVE only documents information disclosure and DoS.
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) or exposure of sensitive memory contents from the application's address space.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and sandboxing, potentially just application restart.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to open a malicious audio file; no authentication needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in commit 98fdfc6df88b1e34a736d5e126e6c8139c8de1a6 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/nothings/stb/commit/98fdfc6df88b1e34a736d5e126e6c8139c8de1a6
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update stb_vorbis.c to version after 2019-03-04. 2. Recompile any applications using the library. 3. Restart affected applications.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable stb_vorbis audio processing
allPrevent applications from using stb_vorbis to decode Ogg Vorbis files
Application-specific configuration required
Input validation for audio files
allImplement strict validation of Ogg Vorbis files before processing
Implement file signature verification and size limits
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate applications using stb_vorbis in sandboxed environments
- Implement network segmentation to limit access to vulnerable systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if stb_vorbis.c version is dated before 2019-03-04 or lacks commit 98fdfc6df88b1e34a736d5e126e6c8139c8de1a6Check Version:
grep -n "VERSION\|commit" stb_vorbis.c | head -5Verify Fix Applied:
Verify stb_vorbis.c includes the fix commit and applications have been recompiled📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing audio files
- Memory access violation errors
Network Indicators:
- Unusual Ogg Vorbis file uploads to web applications
SIEM Query:
Application:stb_vorbis AND (EventID:1000 OR ExceptionCode:0xC0000005)🔗 References
- http://nothings.org/stb_vorbis/
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/commit/98fdfc6df88b1e34a736d5e126e6c8139c8de1a6
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/commits/master/stb_vorbis.c
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00045.html
- http://nothings.org/stb_vorbis/
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/commit/98fdfc6df88b1e34a736d5e126e6c8139c8de1a6
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/commits/master/stb_vorbis.c
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00045.html
