CVE-2011-2954
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 · uneditedUse-after-free vulnerability in the AutoUpdate feature in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1 and 14.0.0 through 14.0.5 and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, when an Embedded RealPlayer is used, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in the AutoUpdate feature of RealPlayer versions 11.0-11.1, 14.0.0-14.0.5, and SP 1.0-1.1.5. When an Embedded RealPlayer is used, an attacker can trigger this memory corruption issue to achieve arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during the AutoUpdate process, where memory is accessed after being freed.
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= 11.1= 14.0.0= 14.0.1= 14.0.2= 14.0.3= 14.0.4= 14.0.5= 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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Verify RealPlayer installation and versionLocate the RealPlayer executable (commonly in Program Files/RealPlayer or similar) and query its version properties, or check the program version through the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks or HKCU\SOFTWARE\RealNetworksAffected if The installed version matches 11.0, 11.1, 14.0.0 through 14.0.5, or SP versions 1.0.0 through 1.1.5
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Confirm AutoUpdate feature statusOpen RealPlayer settings and navigate to the AutoUpdate preferences, or inspect the registry key that controls AutoUpdate (typically under the RealPlayer configuration in AppData or Program Files)Affected if AutoUpdate is enabled or set to check for updates automatically
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Identify Embedded RealPlayer usageSearch for processes or browser plugins referencing realplayer, realplay, or rtsp handlers; inspect the system for ActiveX controls or browser extensions related to RealPlayerAffected if Embedded RealPlayer instances or browser plugins are present on the system
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Review process memory for RealPlayerIf RealPlayer is running, use task manager or process exploration tools to list active RealPlayer-related processes including any background update servicesAffected if RealPlayer processes are actively running, particularly update-related services
A system is affected if RealPlayer version 11.0-11.1, 14.0.0-14.0.5, or SP 1.0-1.1.5 is installed with AutoUpdate enabled and Embedded RealPlayer is in use.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch/update from RealNetworks to the affected RealPlayer installations. If patching is not immediately possible, disable the AutoUpdate feature and avoid using Embedded RealPlayer instances until the update can be deployed.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-2954 — 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-2011-2954 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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