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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-3751

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-10-19
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
Multiple heap-based buffer overflows in an ActiveX control in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1 and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long .smil argument to the (1) tfile, (2) pnmm, or (3) cdda protocol handler.

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 vulnerability in RealPlayer's ActiveX control allows remote code execution via specially crafted .smil arguments passed to tfile, pnmm, or cdda protocol handlers.

MitigationApply vendor patch from RealNetworks; if unavailable, disable the vulnerable ActiveX control or implement network-level blocking of the affected protocol handlers.

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= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.3= 11.0.4= 11.0.5= 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
    Search for RealPlayer executable (RealPlay.exe or similar) in program directories (C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer or C:\Program Files\RealNetworks\RealPlayer) or check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks for installation evidence
    Affected if RealPlayer is not found on the system - not applicable
  2. Identify installed RealPlayer version
    Right-click the RealPlay.exe file and select Properties, then look at the Version tab; alternatively query registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks\RealPlayer\Version or HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\{48E4C6D1-4A60-11D4-9E5B-0050E4C6426F}\Version
    Affected if The installed version matches 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.1, or any SP version from 1.0.0 through 1.1.4
  3. Verify ActiveX control is registered
    Check registry for CLSID {48E4C6D1-4A60-11D4-9E5B-0050E4C6426F} under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID to confirm the RealPlayer ActiveX control is registered
    Affected if The ActiveX control CLSID exists in the registry, indicating it is registered and can be invoked by browsers
  4. Confirm protocol handlers are registered
    Check registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\tfile\shell\open\command, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\pnmm\shell\open\command, and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cdda\shell\open\command for the presence of RealPlayer protocol handlers
    Affected if One or more of these protocol handlers (tfile, pnmm, cdda) are registered and point to RealPlayer executable

User is affected if RealPlayer version falls within the affected list AND the ActiveX control is registered AND one of the vulnerable protocol handlers (tfile, pnmm, cdda) is enabled.

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; if unavailable, disable the vulnerable ActiveX control or implement network-level blocking of the affected protocol handlers.

Recommended fix High confidence

RealPlayer 14.x (latest available version)

  1. Navigate to the official RealNetworks download page at service.real.com
  2. Download and install the latest version of RealPlayer (version 14.x or later)
  3. After upgrading, verify the installed version by opening RealPlayer and checking About/Preferences
  4. Alternatively, as a mitigation, disable the RealPlayer ActiveX control in Internet Explorer via Tools > Manage Add-ons > Disable RealPlayer ActiveX controls
  5. Ensure Windows is updated with the latest security patches
Caveat Modern RealPlayer versions may have reduced format support compared to older versions; verify compatibility with your media library needs

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2010-3751 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
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