CVE-2020-22044Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Process denial of service via leaked AVIOContext

Published Jun 1, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Memory leak in FFmpeg 4.2 allows remote attackers to exhaust process memory by inducing user processing of media with the NUT muxer. The NUT trailer writer allocates a dynamic AVIOContext when no index entries exist, then bypasses the block that writes and releases the buffer. Exploitation requires user interaction with crafted media and can interrupt only the FFmpeg process through memory exhaustion.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability1.04%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Memory leak in FFmpeg 4.2 allows remote attackers to exhaust process memory by inducing user processing of media with the NUT muxer. The NUT trailer writer allocates a dynamic AVIOContext when no index entries exist, then bypasses the block that writes and releases the buffer. Exploitation requires user interaction with crafted media and can interrupt only the FFmpeg process through memory exhaustion.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-22044
Published
Jun 1, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 1, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

4.3NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
6.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo