CVE-2024-47776: GStreamer OOB-Read DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-47776 Overview

CVE-2024-47776 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability discovered in the GStreamer multimedia framework, specifically within the gst_wavparse_cue_chunk function in gstwavparse.c. GStreamer is a widely-used open-source library for constructing graphs of media-handling components, commonly found in Linux desktop environments and multimedia applications.

The vulnerability arises from a discrepancy between the actual size of a data buffer and the size value provided to the function. This mismatch causes the bounds check comparison if (size < 4 + ncues * 24) to fail in certain cases, allowing subsequent loop operations to access memory beyond the legitimate bounds of the data buffer. The root cause stems from a miscalculation when clipping the chunk size based on upstream data size.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows reading beyond the bounds of the data buffer, potentially leading to a crash (denial of service) or the leak of sensitive data from memory.

Affected Products

• GStreamer versions prior to 1.24.10
• Linux distributions using vulnerable GStreamer packages
• Applications built with affected GStreamer libraries

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-12-12 - CVE-2024-47776 published to NVD
• 2026-03-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-47776

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-125 (Out-of-Bounds Read), which occurs when a program reads data from outside the intended buffer boundaries. In the context of GStreamer's WAV parser, the vulnerability manifests when processing cue chunk data within WAV audio files.

The gst_wavparse_cue_chunk function is responsible for parsing cue points embedded in WAV files. The function performs a size validation check to ensure the buffer contains enough data for the expected number of cue entries. However, due to an error in how the chunk size is clipped based on upstream data size, this validation can be bypassed under specific conditions.

When a maliciously crafted WAV file with manipulated cue chunk metadata is processed, the parser may read beyond the allocated buffer, accessing adjacent memory regions that could contain sensitive information or cause the application to crash.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is a miscalculation when clipping the chunk size based on upstream data size. When GStreamer processes a WAV file, it determines the size of various chunks within the file. The discrepancy between the reported size and the actual buffer size causes the bounds check if (size < 4 + ncues * 24) to incorrectly pass validation, allowing the parsing loop to iterate beyond safe memory boundaries.

This is a classic example of an input validation error where the size parameter is not properly validated against the actual buffer allocation before being used in memory access operations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to deliver a maliciously crafted WAV file to the target system. Exploitation scenarios include:

The vulnerability is triggered when GStreamer parses specially crafted WAV files containing manipulated cue chunk metadata. An attacker would need to craft a WAV file where the cue chunk size parameters create a mismatch with the actual buffer allocation. When such a file is opened by any application using the vulnerable GStreamer library, the out-of-bounds read occurs during the parsing of cue point data. For technical details on the vulnerability mechanism, see the GStreamer Security Advisory 2024-0027 and GitHub Security Advisory GHSL-2024-260.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-47776

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes in applications using GStreamer when processing WAV files
• Memory access violations or segmentation faults in gstwavparse.c related functions
• Unusual memory access patterns during WAV file parsing operations

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for application crashes with stack traces pointing to gst_wavparse_cue_chunk or related WAV parsing functions
• Implement file integrity monitoring on systems processing untrusted WAV files
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying memory access anomalies during media file processing

Monitoring Recommendations

• Log and analyze GStreamer-related crashes across multimedia applications
• Monitor for suspicious WAV files with abnormal cue chunk structures in file upload or processing pipelines
• Track GStreamer library versions across your environment to identify vulnerable installations

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-47776

Immediate Actions Required

• Update GStreamer to version 1.24.10 or later immediately
• Review and restrict access to systems processing untrusted media files
• Consider temporarily disabling WAV file processing in high-security environments until patches are applied

Patch Information

GStreamer has released a security patch that addresses this vulnerability in version 1.24.10. The fix corrects the size calculation when clipping the chunk size based on upstream data, ensuring proper bounds validation before accessing buffer memory.

The official patch is available through the GitLab GStreamer Patch. Debian users should refer to the Debian LTS Announcement for distribution-specific package updates.

Workarounds

• Restrict processing of untrusted WAV files until the patch can be applied
• Implement input validation at the application level to reject WAV files with suspicious cue chunk metadata
• Use sandboxing or containerization for applications that must process untrusted media files
• Deploy network-level filtering to prevent potentially malicious WAV files from reaching vulnerable systems

# Check current GStreamer version
gst-launch-1.0 --version

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

# Verify the updated version includes the fix (should be 1.24.10 or later)
dpkg -l | grep gstreamer