VulnerabilityPublished 21 Feb 2026Updated 23 Feb 2026

CVE-2026-2889: CCExtractor · Use After Free

Affects CCExtractorSource CVE Database V5

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Public exploit available · CVSS 4.8 Medium · fixed in 0.96.6 : patch CCExtractor as a priority.

Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

4.8Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 3% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 0.96.6

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: Low
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable system is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or through terminal emulation (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., using social engineering techniques to trick a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker requires privileges that provide basic capabilities that are typically limited to settings and resources owned by a single low-privileged user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges has the ability to access only non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the Vulnerable System are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
CCExtractor	Affected 0.96.0 – 0.96.5 6 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-2889, organizations should upgrade CCExtractor to version 0.96.6 or later, which contains the official patch fixing the use-after-free vulnerability. In addition to upgrading, restrict local access to systems running CCExtractor to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by unprivileged attackers. Employ system-level security controls such as mandatory access controls (e.g., SELinux, AppArmor) to limit the ability of processes to manipulate CCExtractor or its input files. Regularly audit and monitor systems for unusual crashes or behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. If upgrading immediately is not feasible, consider isolating CCExtractor execution in sandboxed environments or containers to limit potential damage. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from any successful exploitation. Finally, keep abreast of any new exploit developments or patches related to this vulnerability.

Description

A vulnerability was detected in CCExtractor up to 0.96.5. Affected is the function processmp4 in the library src/lib_ccx/mp4.c. Performing a manipulation results in use after free. The attack is only possible with local access. The exploit is now public and may be used. Upgrading to version 0.96.6 is able to address this issue. The patch is named fd7271bae238ccb3ae8a71304ea64f0886324925. You should upgrade the affected component.

Impact

The use-after-free vulnerability in CCExtractor can lead to program crashes, denial of service, or potentially arbitrary code execution if exploited successfully. Since the attack requires local access with low privileges, the threat is primarily to environments where untrusted users have access to systems running vulnerable CCExtractor versions. This could include shared workstations, media processing servers, or development environments. Exploitation could allow an attacker to disrupt media processing workflows or escalate privileges if combined with other vulnerabilities. The impact on confidentiality is limited unless the attacker can leverage the flaw to execute arbitrary code and access sensitive data. Integrity and availability are more directly threatened due to possible crashes or malicious code execution. Given the medium CVSS score and lack of remote exploitability, the overall risk is moderate but should not be ignored, especially in environments with multiple users or untrusted local access.

Summary

CVE-2026-2889 is a use-after-free vulnerability found in CCExtractor, an open-source tool used for extracting closed captions from video files. The vulnerability resides in the processmp4 function located in the source file src/lib_ccx/mp4.c. A use-after-free occurs when the program continues to use memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior such as crashes, data corruption, or potential code execution. This flaw can be triggered by a local attacker with low privileges who can manipulate the input or environment to cause the program to access freed memory. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or elevated privileges, but it is limited to local access, meaning remote exploitation is not feasible without prior access. The CVSS 4.8 score reflects a medium severity, balancing the limited attack vector with the potential impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability was patched in CCExtractor version 0.96.6, with the fix committed under the hash fd7271bae238ccb3ae8a71304ea64f0886324925. No public exploits are currently known to be active in the wild, but the exploit code has been published, increasing the risk of future attacks. Organizations using affected versions should upgrade promptly to mitigate this risk.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 1 Mar 2026, 06:16 UTC

Technical details

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