HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2019-17542
CRITICAL

CVE-2019-17542

CWE-787Published: October 14, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

FFmpeg before 4.2 has a heap-based buffer overflow in vqa_decode_chunk because of an out-of-array access in vqa_decode_init in libavcodec/vqavideo.c.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2019-17542 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
ffmpeg1 product(s)
ffmpeg
Source: NVD CPE · 7 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/02f909dc24b1f05cfbba75077c7707b905e63cd2
PATCHhttps://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/02f909dc24b1f05cfbba75077c7707b905e63cd2
ADVISORYhttps://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=15919
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/12/msg00003.html
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/07/msg00022.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-65
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4431-1/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4722
ADVISORYhttps://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=15919
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/12/msg00003.html
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/07/msg00022.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-65
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4431-1/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4722

All References (14)

→
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=15919Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/02f909dc24b1f05cfbba75077c7707b905e63cd2Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/12/msg00003.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/07/msg00022.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-65Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4431-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4722Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=15919Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/02f909dc24b1f05cfbba75077c7707b905e63cd2Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/12/msg00003.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/07/msg00022.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-65Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4431-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4722Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2019-17542
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-787
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 14, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-787)

CVE-2015-0235
10.0
CVE-2026-4746
10.0
CVE-2019-5049
10.0
CVE-2022-30292
10.0
CVE-2026-42369
10.0
CVE-2011-1807
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2019-17542 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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