Helix PlayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2005-0611

MEDIUM · 5.1 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-05-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer 10.5 (6.0.12.1056 and earlier), 10, 8, and RealOne Player V2 and V1, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via .WAV files.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in RealNetworks RealPlayer (versions 10.5 and earlier, 10, 8, and RealOne Player V1/V2) triggered by specially crafted .WAV audio files, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via heap corruption.

MitigationUpdate RealPlayer to a patched non-vulnerable version; if unsupported, remove the application and replace with an alternative media player. Consider disabling file type associations for .WAV files in untrusted contexts until patched.

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
Helix PlayerApplication
Affected:all versions
Realone PlayerApplication
Affected:= 1.0= 2.0
RealplayerApplication
Affected:all versions= 8.0= 10.0= 10.5

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
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:H/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 checks

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

  1. Check if RealPlayer, RealOne Player, or Helix Player is installed
    On Windows, check Program Files for RealPlayer, RealOne Player, or Helix Player folders. On Linux, check common locations like /usr/local/RealPlayer, ~/.realplayer, or look for 'realplay' or 'helixplayer' binaries in PATH using 'which realplay' or 'which helixplayer'. On Mac, check /Applications for RealPlayer.app or RealOne Player.app.
    Affected if Any RealNetworks media player is found on the system
  2. Identify the installed version
    On Windows, right-click the RealPlayer/RealOne executable, select Properties, and check the Version tab. On Linux, run 'realplay --version' or 'helixplayer --version' if available. On Mac, right-click the app, select Get Info, and check the version field.
    Affected if The installed version matches 10.5 or earlier, 10.0, 8.0, 1.0, 2.0, or is any version of Helix Player
  3. Verify .WAV file association is active
    On Windows, check file type associations through Folder Options > File Types, or inspect the registry under HKCR\.wav to see if it points to a RealNetworks handler. On Linux, check ~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list or /usr/share/applications for .WAV associations to RealPlayer/Helix.
    Affected if The system associates .WAV files with RealPlayer, RealOne Player, or Helix Player and those players are vulnerable versions

The user is affected if any RealNetworks RealPlayer, RealOne Player, or Helix Player version is installed and the application handles .WAV file associations.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update RealPlayer to a patched non-vulnerable version; if unsupported, remove the application and replace with an alternative media player. Consider disabling file type associations for .WAV files in untrusted contexts until patched.

Fix this in Helix Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2005-0611 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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