CVE-2023-45676
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-45676 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the stb_vorbis library that can lead to out-of-bounds writes when processing malicious Ogg Vorbis files. This vulnerability could allow remote code execution if exploited successfully. Any application or system using the vulnerable stb_vorbis library to process audio files is potentially affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- stb_vorbis library
- Applications embedding stb_vorbis
📦 What is this software?
Stb Vorbis.c by Nothings
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption leading to unstable behavior.
If Mitigated
Application crash with no code execution if modern exploit mitigations (ASLR, DEP) are effective.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting a malicious Ogg Vorbis file and getting the target to process it. The integer overflow to out-of-bounds write chain makes exploitation non-trivial but feasible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in commit 5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/nothings/stb/commit/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to the latest stb_vorbis.c from the official repository. 2. Recompile any applications using the library. 3. Restart affected applications/services.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input validation and sanitization
allImplement strict validation of Ogg Vorbis files before processing with stb_vorbis
Memory protection controls
allEnable ASLR, DEP, and other memory protection mechanisms at the OS and application level
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file type validation to reject untrusted Ogg Vorbis files
- Run applications with minimal privileges and in sandboxed/containerized environments
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your application uses stb_vorbis.c and verify the version against the fixed commit hashCheck Version:
grep -n "setup_malloc" stb_vorbis.c && check commit history for 5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9Verify Fix Applied:
Verify the stb_vorbis.c file contains the fix by checking for the updated setup_malloc function with proper integer overflow protection📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing audio files
- Memory access violation errors in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected Ogg Vorbis file transfers to vulnerable systems
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "access violation" OR "out of bounds") AND process="*vorbis*"🔗 References
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9/stb_vorbis.c#L3656
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9/stb_vorbis.c#L950-L960
- https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2023-145_GHSL-2023-151_stb_image_h/
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9/stb_vorbis.c#L3656
- https://github.com/nothings/stb/blob/5736b15f7ea0ffb08dd38af21067c314d6a3aae9/stb_vorbis.c#L950-L960
- https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2023-145_GHSL-2023-151_stb_image_h/
