CVE-2008-5259
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 · uneditedInteger signedness error in DivX Web Player 1.4.2.7, and possibly earlier versions, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a DivX file containing a crafted Stream Format (STRF) chunk, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.
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 confidenceInteger signedness error in DivX Web Player's parser for the Stream Format (STRF) chunk in DivX media files causes incorrect handling of size values, leading to a heap-based buffer overflow that allows remote code execution.
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<= 1.4.2.7= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.1= 1.1.0= 1.2= 1.2.0= 1.3= 1.3.0= 1.3.1= 1.4= 1.4.0CVSS 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 DivX Web Player is installedLook for DivX Web Player in installed programs (Windows: Add/Remove Programs, Programs and Features; Mac: Applications folder). Also check browser extensions/plugins for DivX (look for npdivx.dll, npdivx64.dll, or similar in browser plugin directories).Affected if DivX Web Player is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of DivX Web PlayerWindows: Right-click the installed DivX program, select Properties, go to the Details tab for version information. Or open the DivX player and check Help > About DivX Web Player. Mac: Right-click the app in Applications, select Get Info.Affected if Version matches any of these: <= 1.4.2.7, or exactly 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, 1.1.0, 1.2, 1.2.0, 1.3, 1.3.0, 1.3.1, 1.4, or 1.4.0
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Verify the DivX Web Player browser plugin is enabledCheck browser settings: Firefox: about:addons > Plugins; Chrome: chrome://extensions > Plugins; IE: Manage add-ons. Look for DivX Web Player plugin and confirm it is set to enabled or 'Always Activate'.Affected if The DivX plugin is enabled in any web browser
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Confirm the attack vector requires user interaction with a malicious DivX fileUnderstand that the vulnerability is triggered when DivX Web Player parses a specially crafted DivX media file containing a malformed STRF (Stream Format) chunk. No specific configuration file or setting enables this flaw - it exists in the parsing logic itself.Affected if Users open DivX media files from untrusted sources using the vulnerable DivX Web Player
A user is affected if DivX Web Player versions 1.0.1 through 1.4.2.7 are installed and the browser plugin is enabled, as the vulnerability triggers when parsing malicious DivX media 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.
From vendor dataUpgrade to a patched version of DivX Web Player; until then, avoid opening DivX files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5259 — 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-2008-5259 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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