CVE-2025-70299: GPAC Heap Overflow DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-70299 Overview

A heap overflow vulnerability exists in the avi_parse_input_file() function of GPAC v2.4.0, a popular open-source multimedia framework. This memory corruption flaw allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) condition by supplying a specially crafted AVI file. When the vulnerable parser processes malicious input, it triggers an out-of-bounds write on the heap, leading to application crashes or instability.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to crash GPAC-based applications by providing maliciously crafted AVI files, disrupting multimedia processing workflows and potentially affecting systems relying on GPAC for media handling.

Affected Products

• GPAC v2.4.0
• Applications and systems utilizing GPAC multimedia framework for AVI file processing
• Media processing pipelines incorporating vulnerable GPAC versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-15 - CVE CVE-2025-70299 published to NVD
• 2026-01-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-70299

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow). The flaw resides in the AVI file parsing logic within GPAC's avi_parse_input_file() function. When processing AVI container files, the parser fails to properly validate input boundaries related to index chunk (INDX) handling, allowing an attacker-controlled AVI file to trigger a heap overflow condition.

The vulnerability requires user interaction—a victim must open or process a malicious AVI file for the attack to succeed. Once triggered, the heap overflow corrupts memory structures, leading to an unrecoverable application state and subsequent crash. While the primary impact is availability (Denial of Service), heap overflows can sometimes be leveraged for more severe attacks depending on the memory layout and exploitation conditions.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient bounds checking in the AVI index parsing routine. When the avi_parse_input_file() function processes AVI index chunks, it fails to validate that the data length specified in the file header does not exceed allocated buffer sizes. This allows crafted AVI files with malformed index entries to write beyond heap buffer boundaries, corrupting adjacent memory regions.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning the malicious AVI file can be delivered through various channels including email attachments, web downloads, file sharing services, or any application that accepts AVI files for processing. An attacker would craft a specially formatted AVI file containing malformed index chunk data designed to trigger the heap overflow during parsing.

The exploitation scenario involves:

1. Attacker creates a malicious AVI file with crafted INDX chunk data
2. Victim receives or downloads the malicious file
3. Victim opens the file with GPAC or an application using GPAC libraries
4. The avi_parse_input_file() function processes the malformed index data
5. Heap overflow occurs, causing application crash

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the GitHub PoC for Heap Overflow.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-70299

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes of GPAC or applications using GPAC libraries during AVI file processing
• Crash dumps showing heap corruption or access violations in avi_parse_input_file() or related AVI parsing functions
• Suspicious AVI files with abnormally sized or malformed index chunks
• Memory error logs indicating heap buffer overruns during multimedia file operations

Detection Strategies

• Implement file integrity monitoring for AVI files entering the environment through email, web, or file shares
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying exploitation attempts targeting multimedia parsers
• Monitor application crash reports for patterns involving GPAC components or AVI parsing operations
• Utilize memory protection technologies such as AddressSanitizer (ASan) in development environments to detect heap overflows

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and memory error detection on systems running GPAC-based applications
• Monitor for unusual volumes of AVI file processing failures or application restarts
• Implement logging for multimedia file operations to identify potentially malicious input files
• Configure SentinelOne to monitor for process crashes and memory corruption indicators in media processing applications

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-70299

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade GPAC to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability
• Restrict processing of AVI files from untrusted sources until patching is complete
• Implement input validation at application boundaries to reject potentially malicious media files
• Consider using sandboxed or isolated environments for processing untrusted multimedia content

Patch Information

Organizations should monitor the official GPAC project for security updates addressing this heap overflow vulnerability. Review the GitHub PoC for Heap Overflow for technical details that may assist in identifying affected deployments.

Ensure all applications and systems utilizing GPAC v2.4.0 are identified through software inventory management and scheduled for updates as patches become available.

Workarounds

• Disable or restrict AVI file processing capabilities in GPAC-based applications where not strictly required
• Implement application sandboxing to contain the impact of potential exploitation attempts
• Use alternative multimedia frameworks for AVI processing until GPAC is patched
• Deploy web application firewalls or content filtering to block suspicious AVI file uploads
• Educate users about the risks of opening media files from untrusted sources