VLC media player computes the size of a picture buffer with 32-bit arithmetic and allocates from the wrapped result. In AllocatePicture in src/misc/picture.c the running total is accumulated as i_bytes += p->i_pitch * p->i_lines, and both plane_t fields are declared int in include/vlc_picture.h, so the multiplication is evaluated at 32 bits and wraps before it is widened to the size_t accumulator. The overflow check that precedes it divides in 64-bit arithmetic and therefore does not constrain the product, and the subsequent comparison against PICTURE_SW_SIZE_MAX examines the already wrapped value, so both guards pass. aligned_alloc then reserves the small wrapped size while the decoder writes scanlines sized from the original dimensions. A crafted PNG whose IHDR declares large width and height reaches this path through the image demuxer, whose only size guard is on the input file's byte count rather than the declared dimensions, and the decoder in modules/codec/png.c writes past the end of the allocation with attacker-influenced length and content. Opening the file directly or through a playlist entry is sufficient, with no non-default settings.
Advisories
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Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | VLC media player computes the size of a picture buffer with 32-bit arithmetic and allocates from the wrapped result. In AllocatePicture in src/misc/picture.c the running total is accumulated as i_bytes += p->i_pitch * p->i_lines, and both plane_t fields are declared int in include/vlc_picture.h, so the multiplication is evaluated at 32 bits and wraps before it is widened to the size_t accumulator. The overflow check that precedes it divides in 64-bit arithmetic and therefore does not constrain the product, and the subsequent comparison against PICTURE_SW_SIZE_MAX examines the already wrapped value, so both guards pass. aligned_alloc then reserves the small wrapped size while the decoder writes scanlines sized from the original dimensions. A crafted PNG whose IHDR declares large width and height reaches this path through the image demuxer, whose only size guard is on the input file's byte count rather than the declared dimensions, and the decoder in modules/codec/png.c writes past the end of the allocation with attacker-influenced length and content. Opening the file directly or through a playlist entry is sufficient, with no non-default settings. | |
| Title | VLC media player 3.0.0 through 3.0.23 Heap Out-of-Bounds Write via Integer Overflow in Picture Allocation | |
| First Time appeared |
Videolan
Videolan vlc Media Player |
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| Weaknesses | CWE-190 CWE-787 |
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| CPEs | cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Videolan
Videolan vlc Media Player |
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| References |
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| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
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Projects
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: VulnCheck
Published:
Updated: 2026-09-09T13:31:58.330Z
Reserved: 2026-06-22T18:48:27.060Z
Link: CVE-2026-56711
No data.
Status : Received
Published: 2026-09-09T14:17:12.717
Modified: 2026-09-09T14:17:12.717
Link: CVE-2026-56711
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-09-09T15:15:04Z