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XineApplication

CVE-2008-5236

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.1.5 or later.
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 heap-based buffer overflows in xine-lib 1.1.12, and other 1.1.15 and earlier versions, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to (1) a crafted EBML element length processed by the parse_block_group function in demux_matroska.c; (2) a certain combination of sps, w, and h values processed by the real_parse_audio_specific_data and demux_real_send_chunk functions in demux_real.c; and (3) an unspecified combination of three values processed by the open_ra_file function in demux_realaudio.c. NOTE: vector 2 reportedly exists because of an incomplete fix in 1.1.15.

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

Multiple heap-based buffer overflows in xine-lib allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted Matroska files (demux_matroska.c), Real Audio/Video files with specific sps/w/h parameter combinations (demux_real.c), and Real Audio files with certain value combinations (demux_realaudio.c). The vulnerabilities are in demuxer parsing code where insufficient bounds checking on element lengths and audio/video parameter values leads to heap corruption.

MitigationUpgrade xine-lib to a version beyond 1.1.15 that includes complete fixes for all three vectors, or apply vendor-provided patches. If upgrading is not feasible, consider restricting processing of untrusted Matroska and Real Media files until a patched version can be deployed.

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
XineApplication
Affected:<= 1.1.5= 0.9.13= 1= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3a= 1.1.0= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed xine-lib version
    Query the package manager (dpkg -l | grep xine-lib for Debian/Ubuntu, rpm -q xine-lib for RHEL/CentOS, or check /usr/lib/libxine*.so files with ls -la). Alternatively, run 'xine-config --version' if installed.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 0.9.13, 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3a, 1.1.0, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5, or any version <= 1.1.5 not listed.
  2. Confirm xine-based media players are present
    List installed media players that depend on xine-lib by checking package dependencies (apt-cache rdepends xine-lib or rpm -q --whatrequires xine-lib), or identify executables linked to libxine using 'ldd $(which xine) 2>/dev/null | grep xine'.
    Affected if Any xine-based player (such as xine-ui,amarok, or dragon player) is installed and can be used to open media files.
  3. Verify Matroska file parsing is supported
    Check if the xine installation includes the demux_matroska plugin by examining the plugin directory (typically /usr/lib/xine/plugins/* or /usr/lib/xine/plugins/1.*/post), looking for files named demux_matroska.* or checking 'xine --help' for mkv support.
    Affected if The demux_matroska plugin exists and the player can open .mkv or .mka files.
  4. Verify Real Media file parsing is supported
    Check for demux_real and demux_realaudio plugins in the xine plugin directory (look for demux_real.* or demux_realaudio.* files), or attempt to list supported formats via 'xine --help' or within the player interface.
    Affected if The demux_real or demux_realaudio plugins exist and the player can open .rm, .ra, or .ram files.
  5. Confirm processing of untrusted media files is possible
    Review the system's media handling configuration: check if any xine-based application is configured as a default handler for Matroska (.mkv, .mka) or Real Media (.rm, .ra, .ram) files, or if users can directly open such files via file managers or drag-and-drop.
    Affected if Users can or do process Matroska or Real Media files through any xine-enabled application.

You are affected if xine-lib version 1.1.5 or earlier (including all listed specific versions) is installed AND any xine-based application can process Matroska or Real Media files on the system.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.1.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade xine-lib to a version beyond 1.1.15 that includes complete fixes for all three vectors, or apply vendor-provided patches. If upgrading is not feasible, consider restricting processing of untrusted Matroska and Real Media files until a patched version can be deployed.

Fix this in Xine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2008-5236 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