membrane_mp4_plugin has an unauthenticated denial-of-service via BEAM atom table exhaustion
CVSS score
—
EPSS probability
%0.2
Risk score
—
Published
1 mo ago
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Vulnerability description
DayBreach CVE AI Research
CVE-2026-53423 has vendor, distribution, patch and security-source records on file. We can compare them and prepare an explanation linked to the evidence.
### Summary `membrane_mp4_plugin` interns every 4-byte MP4 box name as a BEAM atom while parsing container headers, with no validation against an allow-list. Any code path that calls `Membrane.MP4.Container.parse/1` (or the bang variant) on attacker-controlled MP4 bytes can be made to exhaust the BEAM atom table, which is uncapped at the source but bounded by the runtime ceiling (around 1,048,576 atoms) and never garbage-collected. Once the ceiling is hit, the entire BEAM node aborts. ### Details The MP4 container parser walks the input stream box-by-box. For each box, `Membrane.MP4.Container.Header.parse/1` in `lib/membrane_mp4/container/header.ex` extracts the 4-byte name field and delegates to the private helper `parse_box_name/1`, which trims trailing spaces and passes the bytes through `String.to_atom/1`. Because `String.to_atom/1` creates a new atom unconditionally, every distinct attacker-chosen 4-byte sequence becomes a permanent allocation in the global atom table. Atoms are not subject to garbage collection, so unique names accumulate for the lifetime of the node. The fix replaces the unsafe interning with `String.to_existing_atom/1` and treats unknown names as the `:unknown` atom downstream (with related plumbing in `parse_helper.ex`, `serialize_helper.ex`, and the ISOM/CMAF demuxer engines so the new error variant flows through cleanly). ### PoC 1. Generate an MP4-shaped payload of roughly 1.1 million minimal box headers, each 8 bytes long (4-byte size of 8, followed by a unique 4-byte ASCII name produced by enumerating combinations in the printable range). 2. Concatenate them into a single binary (~8 MB total). 3. Call `Membrane.MP4.Container.parse!/1` on the binary inside any process running under the target BEAM node. 4. The node aborts once the atom table ceiling is reached. ### Impact An attacker who can get a single crafted MP4 file in front of any system that demuxes user-supplied media with `membrane_mp4_plugin` can crash the entire BEAM node hosting that pipeline, taking down every Erlang/Elixir application sharing the runtime. No authentication, network position, or user interaction is required beyond delivering the file to whatever processing path eventually calls the parser. ### References * Introduction commit: https://github.com/membraneframework/membrane_mp4_plugin/commit/ae4bf04c393aa1562f3df3d33e20bc5cb8130de2 * Patch commit: https://github.com/membraneframework/membrane_mp4_plugin/commit/56373d1ddc86968e55fbde795c14eeba24357b57
IMPACT: Affected Products and Software
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-53423 vulnerability. Where our threat engine knows the exact affected versions, they are listed below.
| ID | VENDOR | PRODUCT | ACTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | hex | membrane_mp4_plugin | View |
RED HAT CSAF/VEX: Product Impact Check
SCORING: CVSS from Multiple Sources
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardised framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and display CVSS scores from several sources for each CVE.
| SCORE | VERSION | SEVERITY | VECTOR | SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 | CVSS 4.0 | — | Vector not published | GitHub Advisory |
Patch and Remediation Guide
Solution & Remediation Advisory
1 doğrulanmış yama veya düzeltilmiş sürüm kanıtı bulundu.
0.36.7OSV düzeltilmiş sürüm: 0.36.7
Public exploit and active exploitation status
Verified exploit intelligence
No verified public PoC, exploit repository or Metasploit module has been found for this CVE yet.
Weakness Classification and Attack Patterns (CWE & CAPEC)
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorises the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-53423 is associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-53423 weaknesses.
Official Sources and Advisories
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