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CVE-2016-8676 Libav CVE debrief

CVE-2016-8676 is a denial-of-service issue in Libav’s get_vlc2 logic that can trigger a NULL pointer dereference and crash when processing a crafted MP3 file. The issue is described as an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-8675, and the NVD record published on 2017-02-15 indicates vulnerable Libav versions up to 11.8.

Vendor
Libav
Product
Unknown
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-15
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-15
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Administrators and developers who still run or ship affected Libav builds, especially systems that ingest untrusted audio files or automatically process MP3 content.

Technical summary

The vulnerability is mapped to CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference). According to the supplied record, the flaw occurs in get_vlc2 within get_bits.h and can be reached through crafted MP3 input, leading to a crash and service interruption rather than a confidentiality or integrity impact. The NVD data marks cpe:2.3:a:libav:libav versions through 11.8 as vulnerable, while the description also notes the problem exists due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-8675.

Defensive priority

Medium. The impact is primarily availability, but any service that parses attacker-controlled media should treat this as a reliability and crash-risk issue and prioritize remediation where Libav is exposed to untrusted input.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade to a non-vulnerable Libav release if one is available in your distribution or product line.
  • Check whether your software bundles Libav or statically links it, since the vulnerable code may be present even if the package name is not obvious.
  • Limit or sandbox processing of untrusted MP3 files until patched.
  • Monitor crash logs and parser failures in media-ingestion workflows for signs of malformed-input handling problems.
  • Track CVE-2016-8675 as related history, since this record says CVE-2016-8676 is an incomplete fix for that issue.

Evidence notes

All statements are based on the supplied NVD/CVE corpus and the linked third-party advisories. The record published on 2017-02-15 and later modified on 2026-05-13 identifies a crafted-MP3-triggered NULL pointer dereference in get_vlc2/get_bits.h, classifies it as CWE-476, and lists Libav versions through 11.8 as vulnerable. The enrichment data shows no Known Exploited Vulnerabilities entry and no ransomware-campaign association.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-8676 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-8676

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-8676 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8676

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.