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CVE-2016-9824 Libav CVE debrief

CVE-2016-9824 affects Libav 11.8 and involves an integer overflow in libswscale/x86/swscale.c. In practice, crafted input can trigger a denial-of-service crash in applications that process the vulnerable media path. The NVD record classifies the weakness as CWE-190 and rates the issue CVSS 5.5 (Medium), with availability impact only.

Vendor
Libav
Product
Unknown
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-03-01
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-03-01
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Teams that run Libav 11.8 or ship software that embeds Libav for parsing or transcoding user-supplied media files should review this issue, especially if crashes would affect service availability.

Technical summary

The NVD record identifies an integer overflow in libswscale/x86/swscale.c in Libav 11.8 and maps it to CWE-190. The published CVSS vector is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating an availability-impacting crash condition rather than a confidentiality or integrity issue. The supplied references include a SecurityFocus BID entry and a Gentoo advisory discussing crashes observed in the affected code path.

Defensive priority

Medium. The issue is limited to a specific Libav version and is described as causing crashes rather than code execution, but it still matters for systems that routinely process untrusted files or need high availability.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Inventory systems and applications that depend on Libav 11.8 or bundle its swscale component.
  • Update or replace the affected Libav package through your distribution or software vendor as soon as a fixed build is available.
  • Treat media files from untrusted sources as high risk and isolate parsing/transcoding workloads where possible.
  • Run file-processing services with least privilege and add process isolation or sandboxing to limit crash impact.
  • Monitor for repeated crashes or abnormal exits in media handling workflows and validate stability after remediation.

Evidence notes

The CVE description states that an integer overflow in libswscale/x86/swscale.c in Libav 11.8 can let crafted files cause a denial-of-service crash. NVD lists the affected CPE as libav:libav:11.8, classifies the weakness as CWE-190, and assigns CVSS 5.5/Medium. The reference set also points to a SecurityFocus BID and a Gentoo advisory documenting crashes in the affected area.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-9824 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9824

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

  • CVE-2016-9824 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9824

    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.