Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-38092 is an integer overflow in FFmpeg 4.2.1. If a service processes attacker-controlled media through the affected filter path, it may crash or suffer unspecified impact. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, confirmed exploitation, or downstream product details.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted reliability risk for media-processing services, not a confirmed internet-wide emergency. Prioritize if FFmpeg handles customer-supplied media or supports critical workflows.
Technical view
The issue is reported in filter_prewitt within libavfilter/vf_convolution.c in FFmpeg 4.2.1. The CVE description states denial of service or other unspecified impacts. An FFmpeg Trac ticket and upstream commit are referenced, but the bundle does not state fixed release versions.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in systems using FFmpeg 4.2.1 to process untrusted media, especially workflows invoking libavfilter convolution or Prewitt filtering. Embedded FFmpeg copies may also matter, but affected downstream products are not identified.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not cite active exploitation, public weaponization, or CISA KEV listing. Risk depends on whether attackers can supply media to a vulnerable FFmpeg processing pipeline that reaches the affected filter code.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, affected CPEs, fixed version, or exploitation evidence are provided. The safest analysis is limited to FFmpeg 4.2.1, the named function, DoS or unspecified impact, and the referenced upstream ticket and commit.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory FFmpeg versions in servers, containers, appliances, and embedded application bundles.
- Check FFmpeg or vendor guidance for releases containing the referenced upstream commit.
- Prioritize services that process untrusted uploads, streams, or user-submitted media.
- Limit exposure of media-processing endpoints until patched or validated.
- Monitor processing services for crashes or abnormal worker restarts.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether FFmpeg 4.2.1 is present in production and build artifacts.
- Review media-processing workflows for use of convolution or Prewitt filters.
- Check vendor changelogs for inclusion of commit 99f8d32129dd233d4eb2efa44678a0bc44869f23.
- Verify patched systems no longer report vulnerable FFmpeg builds.
- Review logs for denial-of-service patterns around media processing.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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-2021-38092 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/8263CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://git.ffmpeg.org/gitweb/ffmpeg.git/commit/99f8d32129dd233d4eb2efa44678a0bc44869f23CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.