CVE-2021-3498Public exploit

Heap corruption via uninitialized Matroska track context

Published Apr 19, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Heap corruption in GStreamer Good Plug-ins before 1.18.4 allows attackers to corrupt process memory via a malformed Matroska file. The gst_matroska_demux_parse_stream function fails to initialize its dest_context output pointer before parsing a TrackEntry, allowing an error path to use stale pointer data. Processing the file through the Matroska demuxer is required, and the resulting corruption can crash the consuming process or compromise its memory.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability1.77%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Heap corruption in GStreamer Good Plug-ins before 1.18.4 allows attackers to corrupt process memory via a malformed Matroska file. The gst_matroska_demux_parse_stream function fails to initialize its dest_context output pointer before parsing a TrackEntry, allowing an error path to use stale pointer data. Processing the file through the Matroska demuxer is required, and the resulting corruption can crash the consuming process or compromise its memory.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-3498
Published
Apr 19, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
GStreamer Project
Product
GStreamer Good Plug-ins
Classifications
CWE-119, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 19, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=gstreamer-plugins-good 1.18.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

GStreamer Project · GStreamer Good Plug-insversion=gstreamer-plugins-good 1.18.4

Published CVSS scores

7.8CanonicalCVSS: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

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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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-119Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
T1204.002User Execution Malicious File

Public exploit references

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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