CVE-2002-1176
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedBuffer overflow in Winamp 2.81 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long Artist ID3v2 tag in an MP3 file.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceWinamp 2.81 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability when processing MP3 files with an overly long Artist ID3v2 tag. This allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into playing a specially crafted MP3 file.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2.81CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed Winamp versionLocate the winamp.exe executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Winamp\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Winamp\). Right-click the file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to find the File Version or Product Version.Affected if The version number is exactly 2.81 (any build of 2.81). Versions other than 2.81 are not affected by this specific CVE.
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Verify MP3 playback functionality is in useConfirm that the Winamp installation includes MP3 file type associations or that the user routinely plays MP3 audio files using Winamp.Affected if MP3 file playback is enabled and actively used - this is required for the vulnerable code path to be triggered.
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Determine exposure to untrusted MP3 sourcesAssess whether the user opens MP3 files from untrusted or unknown sources (such as email attachments, untrusted websites, or file shares).Affected if The user plays MP3 files from untrusted or unknown sources, as the attack requires tricking the user into playing a specially crafted malicious MP3 file.
A user is affected if they have Winamp version 2.81 installed AND use it to play MP3 files, particularly from untrusted sources, because the buffer overflow occurs when processing MP3 files with overly long Artist ID3v2 tags.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to a patched version of Winamp newer than 2.81; avoid opening MP3 files from untrusted sources until the update is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-1176 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-1176 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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