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CVE Record

CVE-2020-20446: FFmpeg 4.2 is affected by a Divide By Zero issue via libavcodec/aacpsy.c, which allows a remote malicious u...

FFmpeg 4.2 is affected by a Divide By Zero issue via libavcodec/aacpsy.c, which allows a remote malicious user to cause a Denial of Service.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-20446 is a denial-of-service flaw in FFmpeg 4.2. A malicious media input can trigger a divide-by-zero condition and crash affected processing, disrupting services that transcode, inspect, or otherwise process media from users or external sources.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate availability risk. Prioritize remediation for public media-processing services and shared worker fleets, especially where crashes can interrupt customer workflows or queue processing. No source in the bundle supports emergency active-exploitation handling.

Technical view

The issue is reported in FFmpeg 4.2 in libavcodec/aacpsy.c. The CVE description states a remote malicious user can cause denial of service. The bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, detailed affected package ranges, or upstream fix details; Debian issued related ffmpeg security updates in 2021.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where FFmpeg 4.2 or vulnerable Debian ffmpeg packages process untrusted audio or media. Internet-facing upload, transcoding, scanning, and messaging pipelines have higher operational relevance. The provided CVE data has no CPEs or complete version matrix.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. The described attack impact is service disruption, not code execution or data theft. Practical risk depends on whether attackers can supply media to FFmpeg-backed processing paths.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse: the CVE names FFmpeg 4.2 and libavcodec/aacpsy.c, with DoS impact. Debian advisories confirm security update activity, but the bundle does not include CVSS, CWE, exact upstream commit, exploit status, or full affected-version range.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify FFmpeg usage in media upload, transcoding, preview, and scanning services.
  • Check Debian and upstream FFmpeg guidance for fixed package versions.
  • Apply applicable ffmpeg security updates from trusted vendor channels.
  • Limit untrusted media processing privileges and isolate worker processes.
  • Add monitoring for repeated FFmpeg crashes or failed media jobs.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm deployed FFmpeg versions and package origins across production systems.
  • Map which public or partner-facing workflows invoke FFmpeg on submitted media.
  • Verify affected Debian systems received the relevant ffmpeg security updates.
  • Review crash telemetry for divide-by-zero or media-processing failures.
  • Retest representative media workflows after updating or isolating processors.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2020-20446 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
5Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.