CVE-2003-0835
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 · uneditedMultiple buffer overflows in asf_http_request of MPlayer before 0.92 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an ASX header with a long hostname.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow in MPlayer's asf_http_request component when parsing ASX (Advanced Stream Redirector) files. Attackers can trigger the overflow by embedding an excessively long hostname in an ASX header, allowing arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability affects MPlayer versions prior to 0.92.
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= 0.90= 0.90_pre= 0.90_rc= 0.90_rc4= 0.91= 1.0_pre1CVSS 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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Determine installed MPlayer versionRun 'mplayer -v' or 'mplayer -version' to display the version string. On Linux systems, you may also check 'mplayer -help' or query the package manager with commands like 'dpkg -l | grep mplayer' or 'rpm -qa | grep -i mplayer'.Affected if The version displayed matches any of the following: 0.90, 0.90_pre, 0.90_rc, 0.90_rc4, 0.91, or 1.0_pre1, or shows a version earlier than 0.92.
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Verify ASX parsing support is enabledCheck if MPlayer was compiled with ASX/ASF support by running 'mplayer -msglevel help' to view available message modules, or test by attempting to play a basic ASX file with 'mplayer -v filename.asx' and observe the output for asf_http or ASX-related messages.Affected if ASX parsing is available and the asf_http_request component is loaded, as indicated by verbose output showing ASX/ASF handling capabilities.
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Confirm asf_http_request component presenceReview the MPlayer binary or documentation for the asf_http module. On systems with the source, check for asf_http.c in the libmpdemux directory. Run 'ldd $(which mplayer)' to see linked libraries and look for asf-related components.Affected if The asf_http_request or asf_http component is present in the MPlayer installation.
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Check for ASX file handling in typical usage scenariosSearch for ASX files on the system with 'find / -name "*.asx" 2>/dev/null' or review application logs that may reference ASX file parsing. Evaluate whether MPlayer is used to play streaming content from ASX playlists.Affected if ASX files are present on the system or MPlayer is used to parse ASX/ASF streaming redirects from network sources.
You are affected if MPlayer version is 0.90, 0.90_pre, 0.90_rc, 0.90_rc4, 0.91, or 1.0_pre1 (or any version prior to 0.92), and the asf_http_request component with ASX parsing capability is enabled or used in your environment.
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 MPlayer to version 0.92 or later. If upgrade is not feasible on legacy systems, consider disabling ASX file parsing or implementing network-level filtering of ASX files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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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-2003-0835 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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