How severe is CVE-2020-22037?

CVE-2020-22037 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-22037 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (73rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-22037?

CVE-2020-22037 primarily affects Ffmpeg. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-22037?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-22037 published?

CVE-2020-22037 was published on 2021-06-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-22037

CVE-2020-22037 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Ffmpeg with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-401.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (73rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-401
Affected product: Ffmpeg
Published: 2021-06-01
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A Denial of Service vulnerability exists in FFmpeg 4.2 due to a memory leak in avcodec_alloc_context3 at options.c.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-22037?: A Denial of Service vulnerability exists in FFmpeg 4.2 due to a memory leak in avcodec_alloc_context3 at options.c.
How severe is CVE-2020-22037?: CVE-2020-22037 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-22037 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (73rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-22037?: CVE-2020-22037 primarily affects Ffmpeg. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-22037?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-22037 published?: CVE-2020-22037 was published on 2021-06-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:ffmpeg:ffmpeg:4.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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 →

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