CVE-2008-4686
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 integer overflows in ty.c in the TY demux plugin (aka the TiVo demuxer) in VideoLAN VLC media player, probably 0.9.4, might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted .ty file, a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-4654.
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 · moderate confidenceMultiple integer overflows in ty.c (the TY/TiVo demuxer plugin) in VLC media player allow remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code via crafted .ty files. The overflows likely occur during size calculations or memory allocation in the demuxing process.
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= 0.9.0= 0.9.1= 0.9.2= 0.9.3= 0.9.4CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify VLC installation path and versionRun 'vlc --version' or check the application's About/Information dialog to obtain the exact VLC version numberAffected if The version listed is 0.9.0, 0.9.1, 0.9.2, 0.9.3, or 0.9.4 exactly
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Verify the TY demuxer plugin is presentCheck for the presence of the ty.c plugin file or the compiled demuxer module within the VLC installation directory (typically under 'modules/demux' or similar)Affected if The TY/TiVo demuxer plugin exists in the VLC installation
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Confirm TY file handling is enabledInspect VLC's codec or demuxer configuration settings, or attempt to open a .ty file to see if VLC attempts to demux itAffected if VLC processes or can process .ty files (the TY demuxer is active)
A user is affected if they have VLC version 0.9.0 through 0.9.4 installed with the TY demuxer plugin enabled and are likely to open .ty files.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade VLC to a version with the patched TY demuxer; until then, do not open untrusted or .ty files from unknown sources.
VLC 0.9.8 (or latest stable 0.9.x release)
- 1. Uninstall the current vulnerable VLC media player version (0.9.0, 0.9.1, 0.9.2, or 0.9.3)
- 2. Download VLC media player version 0.9.8 (the final stable release in the 0.9.x series) or a later stable version from the official VideoLAN website (videolan.org)
- 3. Install the downloaded version
- 4. Verify the installation by checking Help > About in VLC - confirm the version number is 0.9.8 or higher
- 5. Avoid opening untrusted .ty (TiVo) files from unknown sources as a precautionary measure until the upgrade is complete
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-4686 — 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-2008-4686 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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