Description
FluidSynth is a software synthesizer based on the SoundFont 2 specifications. From 2.2.4 until 2.5.6, configuring synth.midi-channels above 16 allows the MIDI player to index _fluid_player_t::channel_isplaying outside its fixed-size heap allocation while tracking active channels. The resulting out-of-bounds reads and writes invoke undefined behavior and may compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. No crafted MIDI file is required because the unsafe condition is created by the channel-count configuration itself. Keeping synth.midi-channels at its default value of 16 avoids the vulnerable path. This issue is fixed in version 2.5.6.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| FluidSynth | fluidsynth | >= 2.2.4, < 2.5.6 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | fluidsynth | 2.5.6+dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | fluidsynth | 2.4.4+dfsg-1+deb13u3 | — |
| Debian 12 | fluidsynth | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 26.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 2.4.8+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 2.3.4-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 2.2.5-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 2.1.1-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 1.1.9-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 1.1.6-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | fluidsynth | 1.1.6-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8885-1 |
Advisories 1
- USN-8885-1 fluidsynth vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 6, 2026