---
id: CVE-2018-19857
title: >-
  The CAF demuxer in modules/demux/caf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.4 may
  read memory from an uninitialized pointer when processing magic cookies in CAF
  files, because a ReadKukiChunk() cast converts a return value to an unsigned
  int…
summary: >-
  The CAF demuxer in modules/demux/caf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.4 may
  read memory from an uninitialized pointer when processing magic cookies in CAF
  files, because a ReadKukiChunk() cast converts a return value to an unsigned
  int…
severity: critical
cvss: 9.1
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-824
vendor: videolan
product: vlc_media_player
affected:
  - vlc_media_player = 3.0.4
  - debian_linux = 9.0
published: '2018-12-05'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T18:17:18.027'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19857'
references:
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00005.html'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00037.html'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00040.html'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00081.html'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106130'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'https://dyntopia.com/advisories/013-vlc'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: >-
      https://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=0cc5ea748ee5ff7705dde61ab15dff8f58be39d0
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'https://usn.ubuntu.com/4074-1/'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4366'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00005.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00037.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00040.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00081.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106130'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://dyntopia.com/advisories/013-vlc'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: >-
      https://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=0cc5ea748ee5ff7705dde61ab15dff8f58be39d0
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://usn.ubuntu.com/4074-1/'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4366'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-10-15T17:40:38.119287Z'
epss: 0.03916
epssPercentile: 0.90178
ingestedAt: '2026-10-15T18:23:58.399Z'
---

## Overview

The CAF demuxer in modules/demux/caf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.4 may read memory from an uninitialized pointer when processing magic cookies in CAF files, because a ReadKukiChunk() cast converts a return value to an unsigned int even if that value is negative. This could result in a denial of service and/or a potential infoleak.

## Affected

- `vlc_media_player = 3.0.4`
- `debian_linux = 9.0`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.