RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-4375

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-12-14
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, Mac RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1, Linux RealPlayer 11.0.2.1744, and possibly HelixPlayer 1.0.6 and other versions, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malformed multi-rate data in an audio stream.

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 RealNetworks RealPlayer (versions 11.0-11.1 on Windows/Mac, 11.0.2.1744 on Linux) and possibly HelixPlayer. The flaw exists in the parsing of malformed multi-rate data within audio streams, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted audio files.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of RealPlayer beyond 11.1, or replace with an alternative media player. Disable automatic handling of audio streams from untrusted sources until the patch is applied.

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= 11.0.2.1744

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
    On Windows, check Program Files for RealPlayer folder or look in Add/Remove Programs. On Linux, check /usr/bin/realplay or similar paths. On Mac, check /Applications for RealPlayer.
    Affected if RealPlayer is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed RealPlayer version
    Launch RealPlayer and navigate to Help > About RealPlayer, or right-click the executable and view Properties > Details for version information.
    Affected if The version matches any of these: 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.1 (Windows/Mac) or 11.0.2.1744 (Linux)
  3. Check for HelixPlayer installation
    Search for helixplayer executable in common locations such as /usr/bin/ on Linux or Program Files on Windows.
    Affected if HelixPlayer is installed (it may also be affected by this vulnerability)
  4. Verify audio file handling is enabled
    Check RealPlayer settings under Tools > Options or Preferences to confirm audio stream handling and multi-rate audio parsing features are enabled.
    Affected if RealPlayer is configured to automatically handle or parse audio streams from files

The system is affected if RealPlayer version 11.0 through 11.1 (Windows/Mac) or 11.0.2.1744 (Linux), or HelixPlayer, is installed and configured to parse audio files.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to a patched version of RealPlayer beyond 11.1, or replace with an alternative media player. Disable automatic handling of audio streams from untrusted sources until the patch is applied.

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4375 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-4375 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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