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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-0120

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
Heap-based buffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1 and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4 on Windows allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via large size values in QCP audio 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

Heap-based buffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0-11.1 and SP 1.0-1.1.4 on Windows. The vulnerability exists in QCP audio parsing where large size values are not properly validated before heap buffer allocation, allowing remote code execution via malicious QCP audio content.

MitigationApply vendor patch from RealNetworks for RealPlayer, or upgrade to a patched version. Until patch is applied, disable automatic handling of QCP audio files and avoid opening untrusted audio content in RealPlayer.

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. Check if RealPlayer is installed
    Look for RealPlayer executable in common installation locations such as %ProgramFiles%\Real\RealPlayer\ or %ProgramFiles% (x86)\Real\RealPlayer\, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks for RealPlayer installation entries.
    Affected if RealPlayer is found installed on the system
  2. Determine installed RealPlayer version
    Right-click the RealPlayer executable (typically named realplay.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, then view the Version tab. Alternatively, launch RealPlayer and check Help > About RealPlayer.
    Affected if Installed version matches 11.0, 11.1, or any SP version from 1.0.0 through 1.1.4
  3. Check for QCP file type associations
    Open Windows Registry and look under HKCR\.qcp to see if the QCP file extension is associated with RealPlayer, or right-click any .qcp file in Windows Explorer and check the 'Opens with' program.
    Affected if QCP audio files are associated with the installed RealPlayer application
  4. Verify QCP handling is enabled in RealPlayer
    Launch RealPlayer and navigate to Tools > Preferences or Options > Settings. Look for file type associations or QCP audio handling settings under the File Types or Categories sections.
    Affected if RealPlayer is configured to automatically handle or open QCP audio files

User is affected if RealPlayer version 11.0, 11.1, or any RealPlayer SP version from 1.0.0 to 1.1.4 is installed AND QCP audio file handling is enabled or associated with RealPlayer.

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 vendor patch from RealNetworks for RealPlayer, or upgrade to a patched version. Until patch is applied, disable automatic handling of QCP audio files and avoid opening untrusted audio content in RealPlayer.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

RealPlayer 15 or later (any version beyond the vulnerable 11.0-11.1 range)

  1. 1. Uninstall the affected RealPlayer versions (11.0, 11.1, or SP 1.0-1.1.4) from the Windows system
  2. 2. Download the latest version of RealPlayer from the official RealNetworks website (service.real.com)
  3. 3. Install the current supported release of RealPlayer (version 15 or later)
  4. 4. Verify the installation was successful by checking the About/Help section for the version number
  5. 5. Ensure Windows is updated with latest security patches as an additional defense-in-depth measure
Caveat Legacy features or codec compatibility from older RealPlayer versions may not be available in newer versions; some older .rp or .rm files may require additional codec installations

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2010-0120 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