6.8
MEDIUM CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-125221
FFmpeg through 9.0.2 Uncontrolled Recursion in FLAC Parser score_header()
Description

FFmpeg through 9.0.2 contains an uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in score_header() in libavcodec/flac_parser.c that allows attackers to exhaust the thread stack via crafted FLAC input. Attackers can supply a FLAC stream packed with many small valid-looking frame headers, forcing deep recursion that crashes the process during demuxing or parsing.

INFO

Published Date :

Nov. 9, 2026, 7:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

Nov. 9, 2026, 7:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-125221 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Ffmpeg ffmpeg
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM 83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM 83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Update FFmpeg to a version that patches the uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in FLAC parsing.
  • Update FFmpeg to a non-vulnerable version.
  • Apply vendor-provided patches for FFmpeg.
  • Avoid processing untrusted FLAC files.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-125221 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-125221 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-125221 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-125221 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Nov. 09, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description FFmpeg through 9.0.2 contains an uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in score_header() in libavcodec/flac_parser.c that allows attackers to exhaust the thread stack via crafted FLAC input. Attackers can supply a FLAC stream packed with many small valid-looking frame headers, forcing deep recursion that crashes the process during demuxing or parsing.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-674
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/125xxx/CVE-2026-125221.json">CVE-2026-125221</a>
    Added Reference https://code.ffmpeg.org/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/pulls/25569
    Added Reference https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg
    Added Reference https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/blob/n9.0.2/libavcodec/flac_parser.c#L603
    Added Reference https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/972fe1ccd326538fe9a6b5d5094b7880b5443429
    Added Reference https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ffmpeg-through-9.0.2-uncontrolled-recursion-in-flac-parser-score-header
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.