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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-0117

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-08-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1 and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4 on Windows do not properly handle dimensions during YUV420 transformations, which might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted MP4 content.

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

RealPlayer fails to properly validate dimensions during YUV420 color space transformations when parsing MP4 files, which can trigger a heap-based buffer overflow allowing arbitrary code execution via specially crafted video content.

MitigationApply RealNetworks security patches or upgrade to a patched RealPlayer version; remove RealPlayer if not required.

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
RealplayerApplication
Affected:= 11.0= 11.1
Realplayer SpApplication
Affected:= 1.0.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.5= 1.1= 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. Verify RealPlayer installation
    Check for RealPlayer executable in typical installation locations such as C:\Program Files\RealPlayer\RealPlayer.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\RealPlayer\RealPlayer.exe, or search for realplay.exe via command line: dir /s /b C:\realplay.exe 2>nul
    Affected if RealPlayer executable is found on the system
  2. Determine installed RealPlayer version
    Right-click the RealPlayer.exe file, select Properties, and view the Version tab, or run: RealPlayer.exe -version if supported, or check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks\RealPlayer\Version
    Affected if Version matches 11.0, 11.1, or RealPlayer SP versions 1.0.0 through 1.1.4
  3. Confirm MP4 file handling capability
    Open RealPlayer, go to Tools > Preferences > File Types or check if .mp4 extension is associated with RealPlayer for automatic playback, or attempt to play a standard MP4 file
    Affected if MP4 file associations are enabled and RealPlayer can parse MP4 content
  4. Identify YUV420 color space processing
    The vulnerability triggers when RealPlayer processes MP4 files containing YUV420 encoded video. This is a parsing behavior that occurs automatically when loading affected MP4 content. No explicit user config enables this; it is a built-in decoder function.
    Affected if RealPlayer is used to open or auto-plays MP4 files with YUV420 video streams

User is affected if RealPlayer version 11.0, 11.1, or RealPlayer SP versions 1.0.0 through 1.1.4 is installed AND MP4 file handling is enabled, allowing the vulnerable YUV420 color space transformation to process specially crafted video content.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply RealNetworks security patches or upgrade to a patched RealPlayer version; remove RealPlayer if not required.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

RealPlayer SP 1.1.5 or later (or migrate to alternative media players such as VLC)

  1. 1. Uninstall the affected RealPlayer versions (11.0, 11.1, SP 1.0.0-1.0.5) from the Windows system
  2. 2. Download the latest available RealPlayer version from the official RealNetworks website (service.real.com) or an authorized distributor
  3. 3. Verify the download matches your system architecture (32-bit or 64-bit Windows)
  4. 4. Install the updated RealPlayer version, ensuring it is SP 1.1.5 or later
  5. 5. Apply any available Windows security updates to the system
  6. 6. Configure the browser to prompt before opening or downloading MP4 files from untrusted sources
  7. 7. Consider using an alternative media player (VLC, Windows Media Player) for playback of untrusted MP4 content as an additional precaution
Caveat RealPlayer is a discontinued product with limited support; some features may no longer function; consider migrating to modern alternative media players for better security and compatibility

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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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-2010-0117 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
  • 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