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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2011-2949

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-08-18
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 and 14.0.0 through 14.0.5, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, and RealPlayer Enterprise 2.0 through 2.1.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted ID3v2 tags in an MP3 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 RealPlayer when parsing crafted ID3v2 tags in MP3 files. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malicious MP3 files containing specially crafted ID3v2 metadata.

MitigationUpdate RealPlayer to the latest patched version provided by RealNetworks, or implement application control policies to prevent execution of untrusted MP3 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= 11.1= 14.0.0= 14.0.1= 14.0.2= 14.0.3= 14.0.4= 14.0.5= 2.0= 2.1.2= 2.1.3= 2.1.4
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. Confirm RealPlayer installation
    Check for RealPlayer executable on the system. Common locations: Windows: C:\Program Files\RealPlayer\realplay.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\RealPlayer\realplay.exe. Linux: check via package manager or locate realplay. Mac: /Applications/RealPlayer.app
    Affected if RealPlayer executable is found on the system
  2. Identify installed RealPlayer version
    Right-click realplay.exe > Properties > Details tab > Product Version, or run: realplay.exe -version, or check Add/Remove Programs for version information
    Affected if Version matches any of these: 11.0, 11.1, 14.0.0, 14.0.1, 14.0.2, 14.0.3, 14.0.4, 14.0.5, 2.0, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4 (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)
  3. Verify MP3 playback capability is enabled
    Confirm RealPlayer can play MP3 files. The vulnerability triggers when parsing ID3v2 tags in MP3 files, so any MP3 playback functionality exposes the attack surface
    Affected if RealPlayer is configured to handle MP3 file types or has played MP3 files previously

If RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is installed and the version matches any of the affected versions listed (11.0, 11.1, 14.0.x, 2.0, 2.1.x for RealPlayer or 1.0.x, 1.1.x for RealPlayer SP), the system is vulnerable when processing untrusted MP3 files with crafted ID3v2 tags.

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

Update RealPlayer to the latest patched version provided by RealNetworks, or implement application control policies to prevent execution of untrusted MP3 files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest RealPlayer version available from RealNetworks (post-14.0.5)

  1. 1. Uninstall the current version of RealPlayer completely
  2. 2. Download the latest version of RealPlayer from the official RealNetworks website (service.real.com)
  3. 3. Verify the downloaded installer file integrity using checksums if available
  4. 4. Install the latest RealPlayer version
  5. 5. Ensure automatic updates are enabled to receive future security patches
Caveat RealPlayer has limited support and updates in recent years; consider if alternative media players meet your needs

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,360
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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-2011-2949 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data