dbcve.org
RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-4383

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, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4, RealPlayer Enterprise 2.1.2, Mac RealPlayer 11.0 through 12.0.0.1444, Linux RealPlayer 11.0.2.1744, and possibly HelixPlayer 1.0.6 and other versions, allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted RA5 file.

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 when parsing crafted RA5 media files. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed RA5 file that triggers heap corruption due to improper bounds checking during media file parsing.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of RealPlayer if available, or migrate to a supported media player alternative. Until patched, exercise caution with untrusted RA5 media files and disable automatic file handling in the player.

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= 12.0.0.1444= 11.0.2.1744= 2.1.2
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 if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is installed on the system by searching for the application in Program Files (Windows) or /Applications (Mac), or by running 'rpm -qa | grep -i realplayer' (Linux)
    Affected if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP executable is found on the system
  2. Identify installed RealPlayer version
    Open RealPlayer, navigate to Help > About RealPlayer, or right-click the RealPlayer executable and select Properties to view the version number
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.1, 12.0.0.1444, 11.0.2.1744, 2.1.2, 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.5, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, or 1.1.4
  3. Confirm RA5 file type is handled by RealPlayer
    Check file associations in RealPlayer settings or system file associations to see if .ra5 files are registered to open with RealPlayer
    Affected if RA5 files are associated with and automatically opened by RealPlayer
  4. Verify automatic file handling is enabled
    In RealPlayer, go to Tools > Preferences > Downloads and verify if automatic download and playback of media files is enabled
    Affected if Automatic handling of media files is turned on in RealPlayer settings

You are affected if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is installed and the version matches the affected list while RA5 file handling 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

Upgrade to a patched version of RealPlayer if available, or migrate to a supported media player alternative. Until patched, exercise caution with untrusted RA5 media files and disable automatic file handling in the player.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

RealPlayer 12.0 or later (the last official releases were RealPlayer 12.0.0.1444 for Mac and RealPlayer 12.0.1 for Windows)

  1. 1. Uninstall the affected RealPlayer versions (11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3 or RealPlayer SP 1.0.0-1.0.5)
  2. 2. Download the latest available RealPlayer version from the official RealNetworks website (service.real.com)
  3. 3. Install the latest RealPlayer version (12.0.0.1444 or later for Mac, or the latest Windows/Linux release)
  4. 4. Verify the installation by checking Help > About RealPlayer
  5. 5. Ensure Windows/Antivirus software is up to date as an additional security layer
Caveat RealPlayer has been largely discontinued by RealNetworks; some older features or formats may no longer be supported in newer versions

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4383 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2010-4383 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