Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malformed H.264 media file
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DeliverySubmit file to FFmpeg-backed decode/transcode service
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ExploitTrigger NULL pointer dereference in avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames
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ExecutionCrash processing worker
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ImpactRepeat to sustain denial of service
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Resource consumption limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the target to decode an attacker-supplied crafted media file through the H.264 code path that reaches avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames in the vulnerable FFmpeg build (N-119856-gbe46370941); the crash occurs during parsing/decoding of that file. The practical limiting factor is delivery and auto-processing: the condition is fully met for services that automatically ingest and decode uploaded or fetched media (upload portals, transcoding/streaming backends, thumbnailers), where it is effectively remote and unauthenticated; it is materially limited for endpoints where a user must manually open the file, which adds a user-interaction requirement the CVSS vector (UI:N) does not reflect. No special configuration flag is named in the description beyond use of the affected H.264 decoding functionality. |
| Impact | This is a memory-safety Denial-of-Service bug (NULL pointer dereference) in FFmpeg's H.264 handling, not a code-execution flaw - confidentiality and integrity impact are explicitly None (C:N/I:N) and only availability is affected (A:H). The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 is driven entirely by the network, low-complexity, no-privilege, no-interaction vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), which rates it HIGH, but the real-world risk signals are considerably softer: CISA SSVC lists Exploitation as 'none' (no observed or public exploitation), Technical Impact as 'partial' (a crash, not full compromise), and while Automatable is 'yes', the outcome is still only a DoS. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit identified in the provided data, so this is best characterized as a high-CVSS-but-moderate-real-risk issue - a reliability/availability concern rather than an urgent breach vector. Note a tension between the metadata and the description: CVSS marks AV:N, but exploitation requires the target to actually process a crafted media file, so the 'network' vector only holds for deployments where FFmpeg automatically ingests attacker-supplied media (e.g. upload/transcoding pipelines); for a desktop user who must manually open a file, real-world access is closer to local/UI-dependent - verify against the specific deployment. Also note the CWE is labeled CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) whereas the description states a NULL pointer dereference (typically CWE-476); treat the mechanism as a crash-on-parse, not resource exhaustion. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker crafts a malformed media file that triggers the NULL pointer dereference in avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames and delivers it to a service or application that automatically decodes it with the vulnerable FFmpeg build (e.g. a media upload/transcoding backend). When FFmpeg parses the file it dereferences a NULL pointer and crashes, denying service; repeated submissions sustain the outage. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, and the low attack complexity means a reliable crash file is straightforward to produce once the defect is understood. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 20, 2026
Denial of service in FFmpeg build N-119856-gbe46370941 occurs when the H.264 decoding path processes a crafted media file and dereferences a NULL pointer in avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames, crashing the affected process. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.5 with availability-only impact (C:N/I:N/A:H) and an AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N vector, making it remotely reachable without privileges or user interaction in automated decoding pipelines; services that automatically ingest untrusted media are the highest-risk exposure, while manual-open scenarios add user interaction not reflected in the vector. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and CISA SSVC records exploitation as none with automatable set to yes.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released fixed version is identified in the supplied intelligence, so the primary action is to upgrade FFmpeg to a current vendor-supported release, or to a build newer than N-119856-gbe46370941 only after confirming with the FFmpeg project that the NULL dereference is fixed; track https://ffmpeg.org and https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-52290 for the patched version. If immediate upgrade is not possible, avoid automatically decoding untrusted H.264 media in the vulnerable process by isolating transcoding and thumbnail generation in a sandboxed, resource-limited worker with seccomp/AppArmor confinement and crash-only restart, accepting added latency and operational complexity. Disable or bypass H.264 decoding on untrusted ingestion paths where business requirements allow, understanding that this breaks legitimate media workflows; alternatively enforce upload rate limits and strict timeouts and memory caps, with the side effect of throttling valid heavy users. For endpoints where a user must manually open the media, the user-interaction requirement lowers practical risk but does not eliminate exposure in automated pipelines.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
FFmpeg is a widely embedded multimedia framework whose libavcodec H.264 decoder parses attacker-controlled bitstreams. The reported fault is a NULL pointer dereference in avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames, a helper that inspects H.264 parameter-set/state information to determine reordering characteristics; when a crafted file reaches this path with missing or malformed state, the decoder dereferences an invalid pointer and terminates. The supplied CWE mapping is CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption), although the concrete mechanism described is a memory-safety NULL pointer dereference closer to CWE-476; the assessed impact is strictly availability (A:H) with no confidentiality or integrity effect. The supplied CPE is n/a and EUVD lists affected versions as n/a n/a, so the only confirmed affected artifact in the data is FFmpeg build N-119856-gbe46370941; downstream products embedding this build inherit the H.264 decoding exposure. CISA SSVC marks the issue automatable but with exploitation none and partial technical impact.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
AV:N and UI:N hold only for auto-ingesting media services; AC:L and PR:N as the crafted file reliably crashes parsing; impact is availability-only (A:H), no C/I.
Primary rating from Vendor (mitre).
CVSS VectorVendor: mitre
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
A NULL pointer dereference in the avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames function of Ffmpeg version N-119856-gbe46370941 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via processing a crafted media file.
Executive ViewAI
FFmpeg build N-119856-gbe46370941 contains a high-severity denial-of-service flaw in its H.264 decoding path that can crash processes handling crafted media. Organizations operating automated media ingestion or transcoding pipelines are most exposed because the issue is remotely reachable without authentication or user interaction. Leadership should treat this as an availability risk to content-processing services and prioritize exposure discovery and interim containment until a vendor fix is available.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim controls: restrict or quarantine untrusted media before FFmpeg ingestion; disable automatic decoding of external files where feasible; run FFmpeg build N-119856-gbe46370941 in isolated, low-privilege containers with resource limits and automatic restart; monitor for crashes in the H.264 decoding path, including avpriv_h264_has_num_reorder_frames; use an alternative decoder or hardened transcoding gateway for untrusted content; apply vendor patch when released.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
FFmpeg 2.x allows remote attackers to conduct cross-origin attacks and read arbitrary files by using the concat protocol
FFmpeg before 2.8.12, 3.0.x and 3.1.x before 3.1.9, 3.2.x before 3.2.6, and 3.3.x before 3.3.2 does not properly restric
FFmpeg 2.x allows remote attackers to conduct cross-origin attacks and read arbitrary files by using the subfile protoco
The av_reallocp_array function in libavutil/mem.c in FFmpeg before 2.0.1 has an unspecified impact and remote vectors re
cbs_jpeg_split_fragment in libavcodec/cbs_jpeg.c in FFmpeg 4.1 and 4.2.2 has a heap-based buffer overflow during JPEG_MA
Out-of-bounds heap write in FFmpeg's RASC video decoder (decode_dlta in libavcodec/rasc.c) allows attackers to corrupt m
Memory corruption in FFmpeg before 8.1 allows an attacker who can supply a crafted H.264/HEVC media file to corrupt heap
Integer Overflow vulnerability in function filter_sobel in libavfilter/vf_convolution.c in Ffmpeg 4.2.1, allows attacker
Integer Overflow vulnerability in function filter_robert in libavfilter/vf_convolution.c in Ffmpeg 4.2.1, allows attacke
Integer Overflow vulnerability in function filter_prewitt in libavfilter/vf_convolution.c in Ffmpeg 4.2.1, allows attack
Integer Overflow vulnerability in function filter16_sobel in libavfilter/vf_convolution.c in Ffmpeg 4.2.1, allows attack
Integer Overflow vulnerability in function filter16_roberts in libavfilter/vf_convolution.c in Ffmpeg 4.2.1, allows atta
EUVD-2025-211132
GHSA-wv9f-x489-g252
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB