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MplayerApplication

CVE-2004-0433

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-08-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Multiple buffer overflows in the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) client for (1) MPlayer before 1.0pre4 and (2) xine lib (xine-lib) before 1-rc4, when playing Real RTSP (realrtsp) streams, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via (a) long URLs, (b) long Real server responses, or (c) long Real Data Transport (RDT) packets.

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 confidence

Buffer overflows in the RTSP client of MPlayer (pre-1.0pre4) and xine-lib (pre-1-rc4) when processing Real RTSP streams allow remote attackers to trigger overflows via overly long URLs, Real server responses, or RDT packets, leading to denial of service or potential arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to MPlayer 1.0pre4 or later, or xine-lib 1-rc4 or later. If unable to upgrade, restrict network exposure and avoid untrusted RTSP streams.

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
MplayerApplication
Affected:= 1.0_pre3try2
Xine LibApplication
Affected:= 1_beta1= 1_beta2= 1_beta3= 1_beta4= 1_beta5= 1_beta6= 1_beta7= 1_beta8= 1_beta9= 1_beta10= 1_beta11= 1_rc2

CVSS 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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if MPlayer is installed
    Run 'mplayer -v' or 'mplayer -version' to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The version is 1.0_pre3try2 or any version prior to 1.0pre4
  2. Check if xine-lib is installed
    Run 'xine-config --version' or check the installed package version for xine-lib
    Affected if The version is any of 1_beta1 through 1_rc2 (inclusive) or earlier
  3. Verify RTSP client functionality is enabled
    Check for the presence of RTSP-related configuration files or libraries (such as librtsp.so) in the MPlayer or xine-lib installation directory
    Affected if RTSP streaming support is compiled or enabled in the media player installation
  4. Test for active RTSP stream handling
    Review any configuration files (e.g., ~/.mplayer/config or ~/.xine/config) for rtsp:// stream URLs or Real Media-related settings
    Affected if RTSP streaming is configured or was recently used with Real Media streams

You are affected if MPlayer version is 1.0_pre3try2 or earlier, or xine-lib version is 1_rc2 or any beta version (1_beta1 through 1_beta11), and RTSP streaming functionality is enabled or in use.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to MPlayer 1.0pre4 or later, or xine-lib 1-rc4 or later. If unable to upgrade, restrict network exposure and avoid untrusted RTSP streams.

Recommended fix High confidence

MPlayer 1.0pre4 or later; xine-lib 1-rc4 or later

  1. 1. Identify the installed version of MPlayer or xine-lib on the system
  2. 2. For MPlayer: upgrade to version 1.0pre4 or later (1.0pre4, 1.0pre5, 1.0, or newer)
  3. 3. For xine-lib: upgrade to version 1-rc4 or later (1-rc4, 1.0, or newer)
  4. 4. Obtain packages from the official project websites or your distribution's package repositories
  5. 5. Rebuild or reinstall the updated packages according to standard procedures for your platform
  6. 6. Verify the new version is installed: 'mplayer -version' or check xine-lib version
  7. 7. Test that RTSP streams play correctly with the updated version
Caveat Minimal risk - these are security updates with bug fixes. Minor configuration or playback compatibility changes may exist but are unlikely to affect typical usage.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-0433 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data