CVE-2021-21846 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about CVE-2021-21846, a high-severity vulnerability in the GPAC Project Advanced Content library v1.0.1 allowing attackers to trigger heap-based buffer overflow. Take immediate steps to secure affected systems.
This article provides an overview of CVE-2021-21846, a high-severity vulnerability found in the GPAC Project Advanced Content library v1.0.1.
Understanding CVE-2021-21846
The CVE-2021-21846 vulnerability involves multiple exploitable integer overflow issues within the MPEG-4 decoding feature of the GPAC Project on Advanced Content library v1.0.1.
What is CVE-2021-21846?
Multiple integer overflow vulnerabilities in the MPEG-4 decoding feature of GPAC Project Advanced Content v1.0.1 allow attackers to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow by manipulating specially crafted MPEG-4 data.
The Impact of CVE-2021-21846
With a CVSS base score of 8.8 (High), this vulnerability has a significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An attacker can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code, leading to memory corruption.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-21846
The vulnerability arises due to unchecked arithmetic within the “stsz” decoder of the GPAC Project Advanced Content library v1.0.1.
Vulnerability Description
A specially crafted MPEG-4 input can trigger an integer overflow, resulting in a heap-based buffer overflow. This can lead to memory corruption and potential remote code execution.
Affected Systems and Versions
GPAC Project Advanced Content commit a8a8d412dabcb129e695c3e7d861fcc81f608304, GPAC Project Advanced Content v1.0.1 are affected by this vulnerability.
Exploitation Mechanism
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by convincing a user to open a video file with malicious MPEG-4 content, triggering the integer overflow and subsequent buffer overflow.
Mitigation and Prevention
Understanding the severity of CVE-2021-21846, it is crucial to take immediate action and implement long-term security measures.
Immediate Steps to Take
Users should refrain from opening untrusted video files or links. It is recommended to apply security updates promptly and deploy intrusion detection systems.
Long-Term Security Practices
Developers should conduct regular security assessments, implement secure coding practices, and perform code reviews to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Patching and Updates
Vendor patches and updates should be applied as soon as they are released to mitigate the risk of exploitation.