CVE-2019-25571: Mediamonkey DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25571 Overview

CVE-2019-25571 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting MediaMonkey version 4.1.23. The vulnerability allows local attackers to crash the application by opening a specially crafted MP3 file containing an excessively long URL string. Attackers can create a malicious MP3 file with a buffer containing 4000 bytes of data appended to a URL, which causes the application to crash when the file is opened through the File > Open URL dialog.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can cause a complete application crash and denial of service by tricking users into opening maliciously crafted MP3 files with oversized URL strings.

Affected Products

• Ventismedia MediaMonkey 4.1.23.1881 for Windows
• MediaMonkey desktop application (version 4.1.23)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-21 - CVE CVE-2019-25571 published to NVD
• 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25571

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-226 (Sensitive Information in Resource Not Removed Before Reuse), though the primary manifestation is a denial of service condition. The application fails to properly validate the length of URL strings embedded within MP3 file metadata before processing them. When a user attempts to open a URL through the application's File > Open URL functionality, MediaMonkey does not enforce adequate boundary checks on the input length.

The attack requires local access and user interaction—specifically, the victim must open the malicious file using the Open URL dialog within MediaMonkey. While this limits the attack surface, it remains a concern in environments where untrusted media files may be shared or downloaded.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation within MediaMonkey's URL parsing functionality. The application does not properly sanitize or limit the length of URL strings before allocating memory and processing the data. When presented with a URL containing approximately 4000 bytes of additional data, the application's handling mechanism fails, leading to an uncontrolled crash condition.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to craft a malicious MP3 file and deliver it to the victim. The exploitation flow involves:

1. The attacker creates an MP3 file with an embedded URL containing excessive data (approximately 4000 bytes)
2. The victim receives the malicious file through any file transfer mechanism
3. The victim opens MediaMonkey and uses File > Open URL functionality
4. When the oversized URL is processed, the application crashes

The vulnerability is triggered through the URL parsing code path when handling specially crafted input. For detailed technical information about the exploitation mechanism, refer to the Exploit-DB #46378 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25571

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected MediaMonkey application crashes when opening MP3 files
• Presence of MP3 files with abnormally large metadata sections or embedded URLs exceeding 4000 bytes
• Application crash logs indicating failures in URL processing routines

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for MediaMonkey process crashes through Windows Event Logs
• Implement file scanning to identify MP3 files with unusually large URL metadata fields
• Deploy endpoint detection rules that flag attempts to open files with oversized embedded URLs in media applications

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and logging for MediaMonkey to capture detailed failure information
• Monitor file system activity for suspicious MP3 files in download directories or shared folders
• Implement application whitelisting to control which media files can be processed

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25571

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade MediaMonkey to a version newer than 4.1.23.1881 if available
• Avoid using the File > Open URL feature with untrusted or unknown MP3 files
• Implement file validation processes to scan media files before opening them
• Restrict user access to unknown or untrusted media file sources

Patch Information

Users should check the MediaMonkey Official Website for the latest version releases that may contain fixes for this vulnerability. Additional advisory information can be found in the VulnCheck Advisory on MediaMonkey DoS.

Workarounds

• Disable or avoid using the Open URL functionality in MediaMonkey until a patch is applied
• Use alternative media players for opening files from untrusted sources
• Implement organizational policies restricting the download and processing of media files from unverified sources
• Deploy endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting and blocking malicious file payloads