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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2011-4253

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-11-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 14.0.7 or later.
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
Unspecified vulnerability in the RV20 codec in RealNetworks RealPlayer before 15.0.0 and Mac RealPlayer before 12.0.0.1703 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unknown 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 · low confidence

A vulnerability exists in the RV20 codec component of RealPlayer for Windows (before 15.0.0) and Mac (before 12.0.0.1703). The vulnerability is described as unspecified with unknown attack vectors, but it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted content processed by this codec.

MitigationUpdate RealPlayer to version 15.0.0 or later (Windows) or 12.0.0.1703 or later (Mac). If RealPlayer cannot be updated, consider removing it and implementing network-based controls to block malicious 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:<= 12.0.0.1701= 7.0= 8.0= 10.0= 10.0.0.305= 10.0.0.331= 10.1= 12.0.0.1569<= 14.0.7= 4= 5= 6

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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 is installed
    Check for RealPlayer application on the system. On Windows, look in Program Files for RealPlayer folder or check for realplayer.exe. On Mac, check /Applications for RealPlayer.app.
    Affected if RealPlayer is found on the system
  2. Identify the installed RealPlayer version
    On Windows, right-click realplayer.exe, select Properties, and view the Version tab. On Mac, right-click RealPlayer.app, select Get Info, and view the Version field. Alternatively, run 'realplayer -version' from command line if available.
    Affected if The version number is <= 12.0.0.1701, = 12.0.0.1569, <= 14.0.7, or matches any of these: 4, 5, 6, 7.0, 8.0, 10.0, 10.0.0.305, 10.0.0.331, 10.1 (Windows) or < 12.0.0.1703 (Mac)
  3. Confirm the RV20 codec component exists
    Search for files named rv20.ax, rv20.dll, or similar RV20 codec files in the RealPlayer installation directory. On Windows this is typically in Program Files/RealPlayer. On Mac check within the application bundle Contents/Plugins folder.
    Affected if RV20 codec files are present in the RealPlayer installation directory
  4. Check if RealPlayer handles media files automatically
    Verify if RealPlayer is set as the default handler for media files or if the RV20 codec is registered as an active decoder in the system. On Windows, check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Disabled Components or view codec listing in Media Player.
    Affected if RealPlayer or its RV20 codec is registered as an active handler for media content

A user is affected if RealPlayer is installed with a version matching the affected list (before 15.0.0 on Windows or before 12.0.0.1703 on Mac) and the RV20 codec is present and active on the system.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 14.0.7
Interim mitigation

Update RealPlayer to version 15.0.0 or later (Windows) or 12.0.0.1703 or later (Mac). If RealPlayer cannot be updated, consider removing it and implementing network-based controls to block malicious media content.

Recommended fix High confidence

RealPlayer 15.0.0 (Windows) or RealPlayer 12.0.0.1703 (Mac)

  1. 1. Uninstall the current version of RealPlayer from the system
  2. 2. Download the latest version of RealPlayer from the official Real.com website (service.real.com)
  3. 3. Install the updated RealPlayer version (15.0.0 or later for Windows, 12.0.0.1703 or later for Mac)
  4. 4. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release number
Caveat RealPlayer has been discontinued as of 2017; ensure alternative media playback solutions are available if upgrading is not possible

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
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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-2011-4253 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