LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2020-26664: A vulnerability in EbmlTypeDispatcher::send in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.11 allows attackers to trigger...

A vulnerability in EbmlTypeDispatcher::send in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.11 allows attackers to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow via a crafted .mkv file.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-26664 is a heap-based buffer overflow in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.11 triggered by a crafted .mkv video file. The main business risk is a user opening malicious media on an endpoint. Public sources provided do not show active exploitation or a CVSS score.

Executive priority

Prioritize patching if VLC is broadly deployed or used with external media. Treat as a meaningful endpoint risk, but not an emergency based solely on the provided evidence because active exploitation is not confirmed.

Technical view

The issue is in EbmlTypeDispatcher::send in VLC 3.0.11. A malformed Matroska (.mkv) file can trigger heap memory corruption. Debian and Gentoo published VLC security advisories addressing this vulnerability through package updates. The provided sources do not define impact beyond the buffer overflow condition.

Likely exposure

Organizations are most exposed where VLC 3.0.11, or vulnerable distribution VLC packages, are installed on desktops, kiosks, media workstations, or shared systems that open untrusted .mkv files.

Exploitation context

Exploitation appears to require a crafted media file and user or automated processing by VLC. No provided source or KEV entry confirms active exploitation in the wild.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited: no CVSS, CWE, or detailed vendor impact statement is included in the source bundle. The core fact is a heap overflow in VLC 3.0.11 via crafted MKV, with Debian and Gentoo advisories indicating remediated packages.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory systems for VLC 3.0.11 and vulnerable distribution packages.
  • Apply VLC updates from Debian, Gentoo, or the relevant platform vendor.
  • For other platforms, check official VideoLAN or vendor guidance.
  • Limit opening untrusted .mkv files until updated.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed VLC versions and package build dates.
  • Verify Debian DSA-4834, Gentoo GLSA-202101-37, or DLA-3050-1 fixes are applied where relevant.
  • Review software inventory for unmanaged VLC installations.
  • Check endpoint controls for risky file-association exposure to VLC.
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

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-26664 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
5Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CVECVE Program Container

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.