CVE-2023-1655 – A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in G... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-1655?

CVE-2023-1655 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in GPAC multimedia framework allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by processing specially crafted media files. This affects all users of GPAC versions prior to 2.4.0 who process untrusted media content.

📋 TL;DR

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in GPAC multimedia framework allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by processing specially crafted media files. This affects all users of GPAC versions prior to 2.4.0 who process untrusted media content.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

GPAC (GPAC Multimedia Open Source Project)

Versions: All versions prior to 2.4.0

Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, macOS, Other Unix-like systems

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability exists in core media processing components, affecting all configurations that parse media files.

📦 What is this software?

Gpac by Gpac

View all CVEs affecting Gpac →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the GPAC process, potentially leading to full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) when processing malicious media files.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper sandboxing and privilege separation are implemented.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Exploitation requires processing malicious media files, which could be uploaded to web services using GPAC.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Requires users to process malicious files, which is less likely in controlled environments.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting malicious media files, but no public proof-of-concept has been released.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.4.0 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/gpac/gpac/commit/e7f96c2d3774e4ea25f952bcdf55af1dd6e919f4

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download GPAC 2.4.0 or later from the official repository. 2. Compile and install the updated version. 3. Restart any services or applications using GPAC.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable media processing

all

Temporarily disable GPAC-based media processing for untrusted content

Sandbox execution

linux

Run GPAC in a sandboxed environment with limited privileges

firejail --net=none --private gpac [arguments]

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict input validation for media files
Run GPAC with minimal privileges (non-root user)

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check GPAC version with 'gpac -version' or 'gpac --version'

Check Version:

gpac -version 2>&1 | head -1

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is 2.4.0 or higher using 'gpac -version'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

GPAC process crashes
Segmentation fault errors in system logs
Abnormal termination of media processing services

Network Indicators:

Unusual media file uploads to services using GPAC

SIEM Query:

process:gpac AND (event_id:1000 OR signal:SIGSEGV)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-1655

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-122

Published: March 27, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://github.com/gpac/gpac/commit/e7f96c2d3774e4ea25f952bcdf55af1dd6e919f4 Patch
https://huntr.dev/bounties/05f1d1de-bbfd-43fe-bdf9-7f73419ce7c9 Exploit,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/gpac/gpac/commit/e7f96c2d3774e4ea25f952bcdf55af1dd6e919f4 Patch
https://huntr.dev/bounties/05f1d1de-bbfd-43fe-bdf9-7f73419ce7c9 Exploit,Patch,Third Party Advisory

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