CVE-2012-2406
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 · uneditedRealNetworks RealPlayer before 15.0.4.53, and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, does not properly parse ASMRuleBook data in RealMedia files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted 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 confidenceRealPlayer fails to properly validate ASMRuleBook data when parsing RealMedia (.rm) files. A specially crafted RM file containing malformed ASMRuleBook structures triggers a buffer overflow, allowing attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code via heap or stack corruption.
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<= 15.0.4= 4= 5= 6= 7= 8= 10.0= 10.5= 11.0= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.2.1744= 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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Check if RealPlayer is installedLook for RealPlayer executables or installation directories. On Windows, check Program Files for 'RealPlayer' folder, or run 'reg query HKLM\Software\RealNetworks\RealPlayer' to query the registry for installation info.Affected if RealPlayer is found on the system
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Determine installed RealPlayer versionOpen RealPlayer, go to Help > About RealPlayer, or check the registry key HKLM\Software\RealNetworks\RealPlayer\CurrentVersion for the version string.Affected if Installed version is <= 15.0.4 or matches any of the listed RealPlayer SP versions (1.0.0 through 1.1.5)
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Verify .rm file association is enabledCheck if .rm file type is associated with RealPlayer by examining Windows registry keys under HKCR\.rm or by attempting to open a .rm file with RealPlayer.Affected if RealPlayer is configured to handle or can be used to open .rm files
If RealPlayer version <= 15.0.4 or one of the vulnerable RealPlayer SP versions (1.0.0-1.1.5) is installed and configured to handle .rm files, the system is affected by CVE-2012-2406.
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 dataUpdate RealPlayer to version 15.0.4.53 or later. Avoid opening RealMedia files from untrusted sources until the update is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2406 — 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-2012-2406 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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