Heap overflow via unchecked SPHERE header
Published Apr 14, 2022 · Updated Apr 15, 2025
Heap-based buffer overflow in libSoX 14.4.2 allows remote attackers to trigger memory corruption via a specially crafted SPHERE audio file. The sphere.c start_read() parser processes attacker-controlled SPHERE header fields without sufficient bounds validation, enabling a heap overwrite. Exploitation requires an application embedding libSoX to open the malicious file and can crash the process or enable attacker-controlled execution depending on surrounding protections.
Summary
What happened
Heap-based buffer overflow in libSoX 14.4.2 allows remote attackers to trigger memory corruption via a specially crafted SPHERE audio file. The sphere.c start_read() parser processes attacker-controlled SPHERE header fields without sufficient bounds validation, enabling a heap overwrite. Exploitation requires an application embedding libSoX to open the malicious file and can crash the process or enable attacker-controlled execution depending on surrounding protections.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-40426
- Published
- Apr 14, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 15, 2025
- Vendor
- Sound eXchange Project
- Product
- libSoX
- Classifications
- CWE-122, T1203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 14, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 15, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=14.4.2
- Affected versionversion=master commit 42b3557e
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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