Heap Buffer Overflow in GNOME Localsearch MP3 Extractor

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-1766 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability found in the GNOME localsearch MP3 Extractor component of tracker-miners, specifically in the function that processes ID3v2.3 COMM (Comment) tags in MP3 files.

The flaw occurs because the code incorrectly calculates a buffer offset without verifying if it exceeds the size of the data frame, leading to an underflow in length calculation. This causes out-of-bounds memory access when the system attempts to convert the data, resulting in a denial of service (application crash) and potentially leaking sensitive heap memory data.

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Impact Analysis

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by providing a specially crafted malicious MP3 file containing malformed ID3v2.3 COMM tags.

The impact includes causing a denial of service (DoS) by crashing the application processing the MP3 file, which can disrupt normal operations.

Additionally, there is a potential risk of sensitive information disclosure from heap memory due to out-of-bounds reads triggered by the vulnerability.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by testing the GNOME localsearch MP3 Extractor component with specially crafted MP3 files containing malformed ID3v2.3 COMM tags that trigger the heap buffer overflow.

A proof-of-concept file that triggers the crash is available in base64 format, which can be used to test if the system is vulnerable.

To detect the vulnerability on your system, you can run the tracker-extract-mp3 component against the malicious MP3 file and observe if it causes a denial of service or application crash (SIGSEGV).

• Use a command like: `tracker-extract-mp3 <malicious_mp3_file>` and monitor for crashes or abnormal termination.
• Monitor system logs for segmentation faults or crashes related to tracker-extract-mp3.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include avoiding processing untrusted or suspicious MP3 files with the GNOME localsearch MP3 Extractor component until a patch is applied.

Apply any available security updates or patches that add bounds checking to the tracker-extract-mp3 component to prevent the heap buffer overflow.

If a patch is not yet available, consider disabling or restricting the use of tracker-extract-mp3 or the tracker-miners service to limit exposure.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability in GNOME localsearch MP3 Extractor can potentially lead to the disclosure of sensitive information from heap memory due to a heap buffer overflow when processing malformed MP3 files.

Such unintended disclosure of sensitive information could impact compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require the protection of personal and sensitive data against unauthorized access or leaks.

Additionally, the denial of service caused by this vulnerability could affect the availability of services, which is also a consideration under these standards.

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