CVE-2020-13428 – A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in V... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-13428?

CVE-2020-13428 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in VLC media player's H.264 video processing allows remote attackers to crash the application or execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a malicious video file. This affects VLC versions before 3.0.11 on macOS and iOS systems. Attackers could potentially gain control of affected systems.

📋 TL;DR

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in VLC media player's H.264 video processing allows remote attackers to crash the application or execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a malicious video file. This affects VLC versions before 3.0.11 on macOS and iOS systems. Attackers could potentially gain control of affected systems.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

VideoLAN VLC media player

Versions: All versions before 3.0.11

Operating Systems: macOS, iOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Specifically affects the H.264 Annex-B video processing component. Windows and Linux versions are not affected according to available information.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) when users open malicious video files, potentially disrupting media playback workflows.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched version is used or if users avoid opening untrusted video files.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but can be delivered via web downloads or email attachments.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Requires user interaction with malicious files, which is less likely in controlled internal environments.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but no authentication. No public proof-of-concept has been disclosed.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 3.0.11 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.videolan.org/security/sb-vlc3011.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download VLC 3.0.11 or later from official VideoLAN website. 2. Uninstall previous VLC version. 3. Install the new version. 4. Restart the system.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable H.264 video processing

all

Temporarily disable H.264 video support in VLC settings to prevent exploitation

Use alternative media player

all

Use a different media player until VLC is updated

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict user permissions to prevent execution of arbitrary code
Implement application whitelisting to block VLC execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check VLC version: Open VLC → Help → About. If version is below 3.0.11, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

On macOS: /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/VLC --version | head -1

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify VLC version is 3.0.11 or higher in About dialog. Test with known safe H.264 files to ensure functionality.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

VLC crash logs with segmentation faults
Unexpected termination of VLC process
Memory access violation errors in system logs

Network Indicators:

Downloads of .avi or other video files from untrusted sources
Unusual outbound connections after VLC execution

SIEM Query:

process_name:"VLC" AND (event_type:"crash" OR exit_code:139 OR exit_code:-1073741819)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-13428

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: June 8, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc/vlc-3.0.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=d5c43c21c747ff30ed19fcca745dea3481c733e0
https://github.com/videolan/vlc-3.0/releases/tag/3.0.11 Release Notes,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/videolan/vlc/commits/master/modules/packetizer/hxxx_nal.c Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4704 Third Party Advisory
https://www.videolan.org/security/sb-vlc3011.html Vendor Advisory
http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc/vlc-3.0.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=d5c43c21c747ff30ed19fcca745dea3481c733e0
https://github.com/videolan/vlc-3.0/releases/tag/3.0.11 Release Notes,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/videolan/vlc/commits/master/modules/packetizer/hxxx_nal.c Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4704 Third Party Advisory
https://www.videolan.org/security/sb-vlc3011.html Vendor Advisory

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2020-13428, you might also want to check these: