Heap-buffer-overflow write in FFmpeg SANM process_ftch
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Adjacent network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- High
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
It is possible to cause an use-after-free write in SANM decoding with a carefully crafted animation using subversion <2. When a STOR chunk is present, a subsequent FOBJ chunk will be saved in ctx->stored_frame. Stored frames can later be referenced by FTCH chunks. For files using subversion < 2, the undecoded frame is stored, and decoded again when the FTCH chunks are parsed. However, in process_frame_obj if the frame has an invalid size, there’s an early return, with a value of 0. This causes the code in decode_frame to still store the raw frame buffer into ctx->stored_frame. Leaving ctx->has_dimensions set to false. A subsequent chunk with type FTCH would call process_ftch and decode that frame obj again, adding to the top/left values and calling process_frame_obj again. Given that we never set ctx->have_dimensions before, this time we set the dimensions, calling init_buffers, which can reallocate the buffer in ctx->stored_frame, freeing the previous one. However, the GetByteContext object gb still holds a reference to the old buffer. Finally, when the code tries to decode the frame, codecs that accept a GetByteContext as a parameter will trigger a use-after-free read when using gb. GetByteContext is only used for reading bytes, so at most one could read invalid data. There are no heap allocations between the free and when the object is accessed. However, upon returning to process_ftch, the code restores the original values for top/left in stored_frame, writing 4 bytes to the freed data at offset 6, potentially corrupting the allocator’s metadata. This issue can be triggered just by probing whether a file has the sanm format. We recommend upgrading to version 8.0 or beyond.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA FFmpeg (FFmpeg) Fixed in 8.0
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
FFmpeg 8.0
6 records Highest priority Priority LOW 6 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2025-37185 Heap-buffer-overflow write in FFmpeg EXR dwa_uncompressPriority LOW 39
- TI-2025-37184 Heap-buffer-overflow write in FFmpeg EXR dwa_uncompressPriority LOW 39
- TI-2025-37183 Heap-buffer-overflow write in FFmpeg EXR dwa_uncompressPriority LOW 32
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-59734
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-g9mr-r3g9-6594
References
More FFmpeg vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-19015 FFmpeg git-master before commit d5873b was discovered to contain a memory leak in the component libavutil/iamf.c. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2024-21238 FFmpeg 7.0 contains a heap-buffer-overflow at libavfilter/vf_tiltandshift.c:189:5 in copy_column. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2023-06050 Ffmpeg: null pointer dereference in ffmpeg hls parsing CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2023-28420 Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Ffmpeg v.N113007-g8d24a28d06 allows a local attacker to… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.0
- TI-2023-27357 FFmpeg v.n6.1-3-g466799d4f5 allows a heap-based buffer overflow via the… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.0
- TI-2023-27044 Buffer Overflow vulnerability in FFmpeg version n6.1-3-g466799d4f5, allows a local… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.0
Sources
- CVE-2025-59734 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-59734 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-g9mr-r3g9-6594 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-59734 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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