Dodgy vids can hijack PCs via VLC security flaw, US, Germany warn. Software’s makers not app-y with that claim • DigitalMunition
VLC is said to be once again vulnerable to remote-code execution – meaning a malicious video opened by the software could potentially crash the media player, or joyride it to run malware on the host machine.
However, the application's developers have disputed this claim, and say it is not possible to exploit the programming blunder. The app won't crash or allow itself to be hijacked as described, apparently.
The US government's NIST this week documented a "critical" heap-based buffer over-read flaw, designated CVE-2019-13615, which is said to be present and unpatched in the most recent (3.0.7.1) version of VLC. It is, it is claimed, possible to trick a victim into opening a booby-trapped video using VLC that triggers a coding cockup leading to either a crash, or code execution. According to NIST:
While Germany's CERT and NIST have both logged the flaw in their databases as dangerous and exploitable, the developers of VLC are pumping the brakes on panic over the vulnerability.
In a bug-tracking ticket discussing CVE-2019-13615, VideoLAN lead developer Jean-Baptiste Kempf noted that he was unable to recreate the crash using a proof-of-concept .MP4 video, provided by a security researcher, that's supposed to knacker the latest version of VLC, 3.0.7.1, nor was he able to crash the older 3.0.6 and work-in-progress releases, such as 3.0.8.
"This does not crash a normal release of VLC 3.0.7.1," added Kempf.
VLC developer Francois Cartegnie was more blunt earlier today: "If you land on this ticket through a news article claiming a critical flaw in VLC, I suggest you to read the above comment first and reconsider your (fake) news sources."
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It appears the crashy .MP4 was generated as a result of an automated bug-hunting fuzzer running against VLC. According to the development team, playing the video causes internal memory leaks to be caught by the software.
In other words, something about the code isn't quite right, though whether this could be exploited to actually crash the player or achieve reliable remote-code execution is a bone of contention. El Reg has asked VLC developers at VideoLan for additional comment on the matter, and will update the story when we hear back.
Whether the flaw can be confirmed or not, the clash should serve as a reminder to users and admins that media plugins and players such as VLC can and do contain security vulnerabilities, and should regularly be updated to fix bugs and thwart attempts by hackers to exploit them.
Earlier this year, veteran Apple security researcher Patrick Wardle explained how VLC and other legacy applications could be used by attackers as entry points for attackers looking to get around newer macOS security protections. In that scenario the software itself is not vulnerable, but rather has privileges associated with it that could allow a malicious plugin to get at sensitive system components. The media player also patched a bunch of flaws in its 3.0.7.1 release. ®
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