CVE-2023-51798
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a buffer overflow vulnerability in FFmpeg's minterpolate filter that allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code via a floating point exception. The vulnerability affects FFmpeg versions around v.N113007-g8d24a28d06 and requires local access to exploit. Systems using FFmpeg for video processing are potentially affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- FFmpeg
📦 What is this software?
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
Ffmpeg by Ffmpeg
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local attacker gains full system control and executes arbitrary code with the privileges of the FFmpeg process, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Likely Case
Local attacker with limited privileges escalates to higher privileges or executes malicious code within the FFmpeg process context.
If Mitigated
Attack fails due to proper privilege separation, sandboxing, or the process running with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and triggering of the specific floating point exception in the minterpolate filter. The CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input) classification suggests classic buffer overflow exploitation patterns.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in FFmpeg git repository (commit not specified in CVE references)
Vendor Advisory: https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/10758
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update FFmpeg to latest version from official repository. 2. For package managers: Use system update commands (apt update && apt upgrade ffmpeg on Debian/Ubuntu, yum update ffmpeg on RHEL/CentOS). 3. Recompile from source using latest git commit if using custom builds.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable minterpolate filter
allPrevent usage of the vulnerable filter by removing or disabling it in FFmpeg configurations
# Modify FFmpeg configurations to avoid -vf minterpolate or similar filter usage
Run FFmpeg with reduced privileges
linuxExecute FFmpeg with minimal necessary permissions using privilege separation
sudo -u nobody ffmpeg [options]
# Or create dedicated low-privilege user for FFmpeg processing
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all FFmpeg inputs
- Isolate FFmpeg processing in containers or VMs with no network access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check FFmpeg version: ffmpeg -version | grep 'version' and compare against vulnerable version v.N113007-g8d24a28d06Check Version:
ffmpeg -version | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Verify updated version no longer contains the vulnerable code: ffmpeg -version should show newer version than v.N113007-g8d24a28d06📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- FFmpeg crashes with floating point exceptions
- Unexpected FFmpeg process termination
- Core dumps from FFmpeg processes
Network Indicators:
- N/A - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
process.name:"ffmpeg" AND (event.action:"crashed" OR exit_code:"SIGFPE")🔗 References
- https://ffmpeg.org/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6G7EYH2JAK5OJPVNC6AXYQ5K7YGYNCDN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IPETICRXUOGRIM4U3BCRTIKE3IZWCSBT/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LE3ASLH6QF2E5OVJI5VA3JSEPJFFFMNY/
- https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/10758
- https://ffmpeg.org/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6G7EYH2JAK5OJPVNC6AXYQ5K7YGYNCDN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IPETICRXUOGRIM4U3BCRTIKE3IZWCSBT/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LE3ASLH6QF2E5OVJI5VA3JSEPJFFFMNY/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6G7EYH2JAK5OJPVNC6AXYQ5K7YGYNCDN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LE3ASLH6QF2E5OVJI5VA3JSEPJFFFMNY/
- https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/10758
