CVE-2008-5246
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 heap-based buffer overflows in xine-lib before 1.1.15 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors that send ID3 data to the (1) id3v22_interp_frame and (2) id3v24_interp_frame functions in src/demuxers/id3.c. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in xine-lib's ID3 parser (id3v22_interp_frame and id3v24_interp_frame functions in src/demuxers/id3.c) allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted ID3 data. The vulnerability is triggered when processing media files containing malicious ID3v2 tags.
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<= 1.1.14= 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= 1.1.4CVSS 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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Check if xine-lib is installedRun 'pkg-config --modversion xine' or check package manager (dpkg -l | grep xine, rpm -qa | grep xine)Affected if xine-lib package is present on the system
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Determine installed xine-lib versionUse 'xine-config --version' or check the library file version in /usr/lib/libxine*.so*Affected if Version is 1.1.14 or lower, or 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
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Identify applications using xine-libSearch for applications linked against libxine (ldd output or ldd on media players like amaroK, xine-ui, totem-xine)Affected if Any media player or application dynamically links to a vulnerable xine-lib version
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Verify ID3 parsing is activeCheck if applications process MP3 or other media files with ID3v2 tags - test by playing an MP3 file and monitoring with strace to confirm id3.c code paths are exercisedAffected if Media files with ID3v2 tags are being parsed by the vulnerable xine-lib code
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Inspect vulnerable source code if availableLocate src/demuxers/id3.c in the xine-lib source tree and check if functions id3v22_interp_frame or id3v24_interp_frame lack proper bounds checkingAffected if The source file exists and contains the unpatched vulnerable functions
You are affected if xine-lib version 1.1.14 or lower is installed AND any application uses it to process media files containing ID3v2 tags.
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 xine-lib to version 1.1.15 or later to obtain the patched version with proper bounds checking in the ID3 parsing functions.
xine-lib 1.1.15 or later
- 1. Check the current version of xine-lib installed on the system (e.g., using package manager or 'xine-lib --version')
- 2. Upgrade xine-lib to version 1.1.15 or later using the system's package manager (e.g., 'zypper update xine-lib', 'yum update xine-lib', or 'apt-get install libxine1')
- 3. Verify the installed version is 1.1.15 or higher
- 4. Rebuild or restart any applications that link against xine-lib to ensure they use the fixed library
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5246 — 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-2008-5246 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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- 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
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