Local process crash via invalid decoder cleanup
Published Dec 12, 2025 · Updated Dec 12, 2025
Use-after-free in whisper-cli in ggml.ai whisper.cpp 1.8.0 through 1.8.2 allows local users to crash the process via crafted audio. The stack-allocated ma_decoder is left uninitialized before ma_decoder_init_file handles the file; error cleanup follows stale fields and frees an address inside that object. Exploitation requires a local user to make whisper-cli process the crafted file, producing a reproducible process crash.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in whisper-cli in ggml.ai whisper.cpp 1.8.0 through 1.8.2 allows local users to crash the process via crafted audio. The stack-allocated ma_decoder is left uninitialized before ma_decoder_init_file handles the file; error cleanup follows stale fields and frees an address inside that object. Exploitation requires a local user to make whisper-cli process the crafted file, producing a reproducible process crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-14569
- Published
- Dec 12, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 12, 2025
- Vendor
- Georgi Gerganov
- Product
- whisper.cpp
- Classifications
- CWE-119, CWE-416, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 12, 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=1.8.0
- Affected versionversion=1.8.1
- Affected versionversion=1.8.2
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- InvalidFree crafted audio reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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