dbcve.org
MplayerApplication

CVE-2004-0659

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-08-06
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
Buffer overflow in TranslateFilename for common.c in MPlayer 1.0pre4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long file name.

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 overflow in MPlayer's TranslateFilename function in common.c allows remote code execution via specially crafted long filenames, likely when processing media files or playlists.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of MPlayer beyond 1.0pre4; if unavailable, implement bounds checking in TranslateFilename using safe string functions (snprintf, strncpy) with explicit length validation.

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:= 0.90= 0.90_pre= 0.90_rc= 0.90_rc4= 0.91= 0.92= 0.92.1= 0.92_cvs= 1.0_pre1= 1.0_pre2= 1.0_pre3= 1.0_pre3try2

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 --version' or locate the mplayer binary using 'which mplayer' or 'find /usr -name mplayer'
    Affected if MPlayer is not installed on the system
  2. Identify the installed MPlayer version
    Examine the output from 'mplayer --version' and note the exact version number (e.g., 0.90, 1.0_pre3)
    Affected if The version matches one of: 0.90, 0.90_pre, 0.90_rc, 0.90_rc4, 0.91, 0.92, 0.92.1, 0.92_cvs, 1.0_pre1, 1.0_pre2, 1.0_pre3, or 1.0_pre3try2
  3. Verify the TranslateFilename function is reachable
    Confirm MPlayer processes media files or playlists from untrusted sources (e.g., checking if the application handles user-supplied filenames from network streams, user-uploaded files, or playlists)
    Affected if MPlayer processes media files or playlists from untrusted or network sources where specially crafted long filenames could be supplied
  4. Inspect source code if available
    If source code is accessible, examine common.c for the TranslateFilename function and look for unsafe string operations (e.g., strcpy, sprintf without length bounds)
    Affected if The vulnerable unsafe string handling pattern exists in the TranslateFilename function in common.c

A user is affected if MPlayer version 0.90 through 1.0_pre3try2 is installed AND the application processes media files or playlists containing untrusted filenames, enabling the buffer overflow in TranslateFilename to be triggered.

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 a patched version of MPlayer beyond 1.0pre4; if unavailable, implement bounds checking in TranslateFilename using safe string functions (snprintf, strncpy) with explicit length validation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

MPlayer 1.0 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify the exact MPlayer version currently installed using: mplayer -version
  2. 2. Backup any custom configuration files in ~/.mplayer/ if present
  3. 3. Uninstall the current vulnerable MPlayer version (0.90, 0.90_pre, 0.90_rc, or 0.90_rc4)
  4. 4. Download MPlayer 1.0 or later from the official MPlayer website (mplayerhq.hu) or your distribution's package repository
  5. 5. Verify the GPG signature of the downloaded package if available
  6. 6. Install the new version following your distribution's standard package installation procedure
  7. 7. Verify the installation was successful by running: mplayer -version
  8. 8. Test playback functionality with a media file
Caveat As this is an upgrade across many years, some legacy codec support or configuration options may have changed; test existing workflows before production use

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

Fix this in Mplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,860
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,576.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-0659 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2004-0659 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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