CVE-2020-26664

Application crash via unchecked Matroska element read

Published Jan 8, 2021 · Updated Jul 9, 2026

Heap-buffer over-read in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.11 and earlier allows attackers to crash VLC via a crafted MKV file. During Matroska track parsing, EbmlTypeDispatcher::send reads eight bytes from a two-byte heap allocation without validating the element's available size. Opening or preparsing the file is required; the demonstrated consequence is process termination, while an Arch advisory classifies the flaw as arbitrary code execution.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability1.47%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Heap-buffer over-read in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.11 and earlier allows attackers to crash VLC via a crafted MKV file. During Matroska track parsing, EbmlTypeDispatcher::send reads eight bytes from a two-byte heap allocation without validating the element's available size. Opening or preparsing the file is required; the demonstrated consequence is process termination, while an Arch advisory classifies the flaw as arbitrary code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-26664
Published
Jan 8, 2021
Updated
Jul 9, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-787, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 8, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jul 9, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.8NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.

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No observations available

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

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
T1204.002Malicious File

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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