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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2010-4390

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
Multiple heap-based buffer overflows in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, and Linux RealPlayer 11.0.2.1744 allow remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted header in an IVR 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

Multiple heap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in RealPlayer's IVR file parsing code allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted headers. The CVSS 9.3 score indicates critical severity with potential for complete system compromise through user-opened malicious files.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched RealPlayer version or discontinue use of the affected RealPlayer versions, as they are no longer supported. Users should not open untrusted IVR files from unknown sources.

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= 1.1.5

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 and version
    Check the installed RealPlayer version on the system. On Windows, inspect the program version via file properties of RealPlayer.exe or check registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks\RealPlayer. On Linux, check the installed package version.
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly one of these: 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.1, 11.0.2.1744 (RealPlayer) or 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, 1.1.5 (RealPlayer SP).
  2. Confirm IVR file type handling capability
    Check if RealPlayer has registered handlers for .ivr file extension or contains IVR parsing modules. Inspect file associations in the registry or check for ivr-related DLLs in the RealPlayer installation directory.
    Affected if RealPlayer can parse or play IVR files and the vulnerable IVR parsing code is present on the system.
  3. Assess user exposure to malicious IVR files
    Determine whether the system user could plausibly open a crafted IVR file. Check if RealPlayer is set as the default handler for media files or if users frequently open media files from untrusted sources.
    Affected if RealPlayer is actively used to open media files, including IVR files from potentially untrusted sources.

A user is affected if they have any of the listed RealPlayer versions installed AND RealPlayer can handle IVR files AND a user could be persuaded to open a malicious IVR file.

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 RealPlayer version or discontinue use of the affected RealPlayer versions, as they are no longer supported. Users should not open untrusted IVR files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

RealPlayer 11.1 or later / RealPlayer SP 1.1.5 or later

  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. Navigate to the official RealNetworks download page at service.real.com
  3. 3. Download and install the latest available RealPlayer version (11.1 or later, or RealPlayer SP 1.1.5 or later)
  4. 4. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release
Caveat RealPlayer has been discontinued; ensure any legacy media workflows dependent on this player are assessed for alternative solutions

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
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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-2010-4390 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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