dbcve.org
RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-4386

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
RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4, Linux RealPlayer 11.0.2.1744, and possibly HelixPlayer 1.0.6 and other versions, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via a crafted RealMedia video 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 memory corruption vulnerability in RealNetworks RealPlayer when parsing crafted RealMedia (.rm/.rmv) video files. The insecure parsing of media file structures allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via specially malformed files.

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted RealMedia files. If available, apply vendor patches. If the software is end-of-life, migrate to a supported media player or implement application whitelisting to block execution of RealPlayer with untrusted media content.

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
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. Confirm RealPlayer installation
    Check if RealNetworks RealPlayer is installed on the system. On Windows, look for RealPlayer in Program Files or check Add/Remove Programs. On Mac, check /Applications for RealPlayer.app.
    Affected if RealPlayer is present on the system
  2. Determine installed RealPlayer version
    Open RealPlayer and navigate to Help > About RealPlayer, or right-click the executable and view Properties > Details to find the version number. Compare against affected versions: RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1, and RealPlayer SP 1.0.0 through 1.1.4.
    Affected if Installed version matches any of the listed affected versions (11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.1, 11.0.2.1744, or any RealPlayer SP 1.0.0 through 1.1.4)
  3. Verify RealMedia file type handler exists
    Check if .rm and .rmv file extensions are associated with RealPlayer. On Windows, look in Registry under HKCR\.rm and HKCR\.rmv to see the associated application, or check the file type associations within RealPlayer settings.
    Affected if RealPlayer is configured as the default handler for .rm or .rmv files, enabling automatic processing when such files are opened
  4. Assess exposure to untrusted RealMedia files
    Determine if the user or system processes RealMedia files from untrusted sources. Check browser download folders, email attachments, or shared network locations where .rm/.rmv files might be encountered.
    Affected if RealPlayer can be used to open RealMedia files from untrusted or unknown sources

The environment is affected if RealPlayer (version 11.0-11.1 or RealPlayer SP 1.0.0-1.1.4) is installed and can process untrusted RealMedia (.rm/.rmv) 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.

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

Avoid opening untrusted RealMedia files. If available, apply vendor patches. If the software is end-of-life, migrate to a supported media player or implement application whitelisting to block execution of RealPlayer with untrusted media content.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. This CVE affects legacy RealPlayer versions (11.0-11.1, SP 1.0-1.1.4, Linux RealPlayer 11.0.2.1744, and HelixPlayer 1.0.6) which are no longer supported by RealNetworks.
  2. RealPlayer has been discontinued and no longer receives security updates from the vendor.
  3. If affected systems must continue using RealPlayer, isolate them from untrusted network paths and disable file handling for RealMedia formats (.rm, .ram, .rpm).
  4. Consider migrating to actively maintained media players that support RealMedia format playback if possible.
  5. For enterprise environments, deploy application control or sandboxing to prevent RealPlayer from processing untrusted media files.
Caveat RealPlayer is discontinued with no available upgrade path; users must migrate to alternative media players

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4386 — 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-2010-4386 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