CVE-2024-47607: GStreamer Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2024-47607 Overview

CVE-2024-47607 is a stack buffer overflow vulnerability discovered in GStreamer, a widely-used open-source multimedia framework for constructing graphs of media-handling components. The vulnerability exists in the gst_opus_dec_parse_header function within the gstopusdec.c file, where improper bounds checking on audio channel positions can lead to memory corruption and potential code execution.

Critical Impact

This stack buffer overflow allows attackers to overwrite the EIP (Instruction Pointer) address on the stack, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution through maliciously crafted Opus audio files.

Affected Products

• GStreamer versions prior to 1.24.10
• Applications and systems utilizing GStreamer's Opus decoder plugin
• Linux distributions with vulnerable GStreamer packages (including Debian)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-12-12 - CVE-2024-47607 published to NVD
• 2026-03-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-47607

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from a classic stack buffer overflow condition in the Opus audio decoder component of GStreamer. The pos array within the gst_opus_dec_parse_header function is allocated on the stack with a fixed size of 64 elements. This array is designed to store audio channel position information during the parsing of Opus audio headers.

When processing audio streams, the function iterates through the declared number of channels (n_channels) and populates the pos array. However, the implementation fails to validate that n_channels does not exceed the array's allocated capacity of 64. If a maliciously crafted Opus file declares more than 64 channels, the subsequent loop iterations write beyond the array boundaries, corrupting adjacent stack memory.

The value written during this overflow is consistently GST_AUDIO_CHANNEL_POSITION_NONE, which, while predictable, still enables stack corruption. Critically, this overflow can reach and overwrite the saved return address (EIP) on the stack, providing attackers with control over program execution flow.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing bounds validation in the gst_opus_dec_parse_header function. The code assumes that the n_channels value from the Opus header will always be within valid bounds but fails to enforce this constraint before iterating over the channel positions. This is categorized under CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) and CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write).

Attack Vector

The attack vector requires local access to the system where a victim processes a maliciously crafted Opus audio file. An attacker would need to create an Opus file with a header declaring more than 64 audio channels. When this file is processed by any application using the vulnerable GStreamer Opus decoder plugin (such as media players, video editors, or automated media processing pipelines), the buffer overflow triggers.

The attack proceeds as follows: the malformed audio file is opened by a GStreamer-based application, the Opus decoder parses the file header, the excessive channel count causes the for loop to iterate beyond the 64-element boundary of the pos array, stack memory including the saved EIP is corrupted, and upon function return, execution flow can be hijacked to attacker-controlled code or cause a crash.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-47607

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or segmentation faults in GStreamer-based applications when processing Opus audio files
• Abnormal Opus audio files with declared channel counts exceeding 64 in file headers
• Core dumps or crash reports indicating stack corruption in gst_opus_dec_parse_header or related Opus decoder functions
• Suspicious media files with unusual metadata or header values

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system logs for crashes in processes using GStreamer libraries, particularly those involving Opus decoding
• Implement file integrity validation to detect malformed Opus files before processing
• Use memory protection mechanisms like stack canaries and ASLR to detect and mitigate exploitation attempts
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying buffer overflow exploitation patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and analysis for all applications utilizing GStreamer
• Monitor for unusual media file uploads or processing requests that could indicate exploitation attempts
• Implement runtime application self-protection (RASP) for critical media processing services
• Log and analyze any GStreamer-related errors, especially those referencing the Opus decoder component

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-47607

Immediate Actions Required

• Update GStreamer to version 1.24.10 or later immediately on all affected systems
• Audit systems to identify all applications using GStreamer's Opus decoder functionality
• Implement input validation to reject Opus files with excessive channel counts before processing
• Consider temporarily disabling Opus decoding in non-critical applications until patches are applied

Patch Information

The vulnerability is fixed in GStreamer version 1.24.10. The official patch is available through the GitLab Merge Request. Additional security information is available in the GStreamer Security Advisory and the GitHub Security Lab Advisory. Debian users should refer to the Debian LTS Announcement for distribution-specific update instructions.

Workarounds

• Restrict processing of untrusted Opus audio files until the patch can be applied
• Implement pre-processing validation to reject audio files with more than 64 declared channels
• Use application sandboxing to limit the impact of potential exploitation
• Compile applications with stack protection mechanisms enabled (stack canaries, ASLR, DEP)

# Update GStreamer on Debian/Ubuntu systems
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade gstreamer1.0-plugins-base

# Verify installed GStreamer version
gst-inspect-1.0 --version

# Check for vulnerable Opus decoder plugin
gst-inspect-1.0 opusdec | grep -i version