How severe is CVE-2019-17539?

CVE-2019-17539 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-17539 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-17539?

CVE-2019-17539 primarily affects Ffmpeg. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-17539?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2019-17539 published?

CVE-2019-17539 was published on 2019-10-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-17539

CVE-2019-17539 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Ffmpeg with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-476.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Ffmpeg
Published: 2019-10-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In FFmpeg before 4.2, avcodec_open2 in libavcodec/utils.c allows a NULL pointer dereference and possibly unspecified other impact when there is no valid close function pointer.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-17539?: In FFmpeg before 4.2, avcodec_open2 in libavcodec/utils.c allows a NULL pointer dereference and possibly unspecified other impact when there is no valid close function pointer.
How severe is CVE-2019-17539?: CVE-2019-17539 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-17539 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-17539?: CVE-2019-17539 primarily affects Ffmpeg. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-17539?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-17539 published?: CVE-2019-17539 was published on 2019-10-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:ffmpeg:ffmpeg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Ffmpeg

CVE-2013-0864 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The gif_copy_img_rect function in libavcodec/gifdec.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.2 performs an incorrect calculation for an…
CVE-2013-4265 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The av_reallocp_array function in libavutil/mem.c in FFmpeg before 2.0.1 has an unspecified impact and remote vectors…
CVE-2013-0873 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The read_header function in libavcodec/shorten.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.3 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified…
CVE-2013-0872 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The swr_init function in libswresample/swresample.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.3 allows remote attackers to have an…
CVE-2011-3937 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The H.263 codec (libavcodec/h263dec.c) in FFmpeg 0.7.x before 0.7.12, 0.8.x before 0.8.11, and unspecified versions…
CVE-2012-2804 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in libavcodec/indeo3.c in FFmpeg before 0.11 and Libav 0.8.x before 0.8.5 has unknown impact…

All CVEs affecting Ffmpeg →

Other CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2026-31436 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: idxd: fix possible wrong descriptor…

Browse all CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities →