CVE-2025-10256
Description
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in FFmpeg’s Firequalizer filter (libavfilter/af_firequalizer.c) due to a missing check on the return value of av_malloc_array() in the config_input() function. An attacker could exploit this by tricking a victim into processing a crafted media file with the Firequalizer filter enabled, causing the application to dereference a NULL pointer and crash, leading to denial of service.
Statement
This issue is rated Moderate severity, because exploitation requires a victim to process a specially crafted input that triggers a memory allocation failure in the Firequalizer filter. While FFmpeg is often used to process untrusted media, the impact is limited to denial of service without risk of code execution or memory corruption, keeping the severity at moderate.
The flaw was introduced with upstream commit https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/d3be186ed1bcdcf2c093d6b13a0e66dc5132be2a with the addition of the dumpfile and dumpscale options and affects FFmpeg versions 3.2 through 8.0.
Mitigation
No mitigation is currently available that meets Red Hat Product Security's standards for usability, deployment, applicability, or stability.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Jiasheng Jiang for reporting this issue.
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