CVE-2010-4391
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, and RealPlayer Enterprise 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted value in an unspecified header field in an RMX 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 confidenceA heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in RealPlayer versions 11.0-11.1, SP 1.0-1.1.5, and Enterprise 2.1.2-2.1.3 when parsing RMX media files. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of a crafted value in an unspecified header field, allowing an attacker to overflow the heap and execute arbitrary code via a malicious RMX file.
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= 11.0= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.3= 11.0.4= 11.0.5= 11.1= 2.1.2= 2.1.3= 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= 1.1.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm RealPlayer installationSearch for RealPlayer executable on the system. Check common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer\, C:\Program Files (x86)\Real\RealPlayer\, or /Applications/RealPlayer on macOS. Look for files named realplay.exe, RealPlay.exe, or RealPlayer.Affected if RealPlayer software is found on the system
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Identify installed version numberRight-click the RealPlayer executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, open RealPlayer and navigate to Help > About RealPlayer to display the exact version number.Affected if Version matches 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.0.4, 11.0.5, 11.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 (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)
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Check for RMX file handling capabilityVerify whether RealPlayer is configured to handle or has recently opened RMX media files. Examine file associations in RealPlayer preferences or check system file type associations for .rmx extension.Affected if RealPlayer is set as the default handler for RMX files or has processed RMX content
The system is affected if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is installed with any of the specific versions listed and the application processes RMX media files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataGiven RealPlayer's discontinued status and the age of affected versions, organizations should inventory and remove deprecated RealPlayer installations, migrate to alternative media players, and implement controls blocking untrusted RMX file ingestion from external sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4391 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-4391 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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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