CVE-2025-52292: GPAC MP4Box Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-52292 Overview

CVE-2025-52292 is a stack buffer overflow vulnerability in the filein_process function within in_file.c of GPAC MP4Box version 2.4. The flaw allows attackers to trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) by supplying a crafted MP4 file to the multimedia framework. GPAC is widely used for multimedia packaging, streaming, and playback across research, broadcast, and consumer applications. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-121] Stack-based Buffer Overflow and affects the file ingestion path of MP4Box.

Critical Impact
A crafted MP4 file processed by MP4Box v2.4 corrupts the stack frame of filein_process, terminating the process and denying service to dependent workflows.

Affected Products

GPAC MP4Box v2.4
GPAC multimedia framework distributions bundling MP4Box v2.4
Downstream applications or pipelines invoking MP4Box v2.4 for MP4 processing

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-09 - CVE-2025-52292 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-10 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-52292

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the filein_process function of in_file.c, a component responsible for handling file input operations inside MP4Box. When MP4Box parses a specially crafted MP4 container, the function writes data beyond the boundaries of a stack-allocated buffer. The overflow corrupts adjacent stack memory, including saved frame pointers and return addresses, causing the process to terminate abnormally.

The issue is reachable over the network when MP4Box is integrated into automated transcoding services, web-facing media processors, or content ingestion pipelines that accept untrusted MP4 files. Exploitation requires no authentication and no user interaction beyond submission of the malicious file.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect bounds checking on data read from the input file into a fixed-size stack buffer inside filein_process. The function trusts size or length fields supplied by the attacker-controlled MP4 structure without validating them against the destination buffer capacity. This pattern is a classic instance of [CWE-121] Stack-based Buffer Overflow.

Attack Vector

The attacker crafts an MP4 file whose internal length fields or box structures coerce filein_process into copying excessive data onto the stack. The file is delivered to any service or workstation that runs MP4Box v2.4 against attacker-supplied content. Successful processing results in process termination and disruption of downstream media workflows. The CVSS impact scope is limited to availability; confidentiality and integrity impacts are not reported.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the InfoSec Exchange Post for technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-52292

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes or SIGSEGV terminations of the MP4Box process during MP4 ingestion
Core dumps referencing filein_process or in_file.c in the call stack
Failed or repeatedly retried media processing jobs triggered by externally sourced MP4 files

Detection Strategies

Monitor process termination events for MP4Box and correlate them with the filename and source of the input file
Inspect crash telemetry and stack traces for frames within filein_process
Apply file-content inspection to flag MP4 files with malformed or oversized box length fields before they reach MP4Box

Monitoring Recommendations

Log all MP4Box invocations with input file hashes, sources, and exit codes for forensic review
Alert on abnormal exit codes or crash-loop behavior in media processing services
Track the volume of unsolicited MP4 submissions to ingestion endpoints to identify abuse patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-52292

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory all systems running GPAC MP4Box v2.4 and identify exposure to untrusted MP4 inputs
Restrict MP4Box processing of files originating from untrusted or unauthenticated sources
Run MP4Box inside sandboxed or containerized environments with strict resource and restart policies to contain DoS impact

Patch Information

No official patched version is referenced in the NVD entry at the time of publication. Track the GPAC project for fixes addressing filein_process in in_file.c and upgrade to a post-2.4 release once available. Until then, treat MP4Box v2.4 as vulnerable in all exposed contexts.

Workarounds

Pre-validate MP4 files using independent parsers that enforce strict box-size limits before passing them to MP4Box
Enforce maximum input file size limits and reject malformed containers at the ingestion boundary
Isolate MP4Box behind a worker process with automatic restart so a crash does not disrupt the entire service
Disable network-accessible features that allow arbitrary user uploads of MP4 content for processing by MP4Box

bash

# Configuration example: sandboxed MP4Box execution with input size cap
max_bytes=$((50*1024*1024))
if [ "$(stat -c%s "$1")" -gt "$max_bytes" ]; then
  echo "Input rejected: file exceeds size policy"
  exit 1
fi
timeout 30s firejail --quiet --net=none --private-tmp \
  MP4Box -info "$1"