CVE-2012-4045
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 · uneditedMultiple heap-based buffer overflows in bmp.w5s in Winamp before 5.63 build 3235 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the (1) strf chunk in BI_RGB or (2) UYVY video data in an AVI file, or (3) decompressed TechSmith Screen Capture Codec (TSCC) data in an AVI 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 confidenceMultiple heap-based buffer overflows in Winamp's bmp.w5s component allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted AVI files containing malicious (1) strf chunk in BI_RGB, (2) UYVY video data, or (3) decompressed TechSmith Screen Capture Codec (TSCC) data.
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<= 5.63CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Locate Winamp installation directoryCheck common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Winamp\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Winamp\, or search for winamp.exe using file explorer or Get-ChildItem -Recurse in PowerShellAffected if Winamp is found installed on the system
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Identify installed Winamp versionRight-click winamp.exe, select Properties, go to Details tab and check File Version; alternatively run 'winamp.exe /?' or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\WinampAffected if The version number is 5.63 or lower (e.g., 5.63, 5.62, 5.6, etc.)
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Verify bmp.w5s component existsSearch for bmp.w5s file in the Winamp installation directory and subfolders (typically in plugins or skin folders); use command: Get-ChildItem -Path 'C:\Program Files\Winamp' -Filter 'bmp.w5s' -RecurseAffected if The bmp.w5s file is present in the Winamp installation directory
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Check if automatic media file handling is enabledOpen Winamp, go to Options > Preferences > File Types, or check registry under HKCU\Software\Winamp for file association settings; look for AVI file type associationsAffected if Winamp is configured to automatically handle or preview AVI files (file associations enabled for AVI)
A system is affected if Winamp 5.63 or earlier is installed with the bmp.w5s component present and AVI file handling is enabled, allowing malicious AVI files to trigger the buffer overflow when opened.
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 dataUpgrade Winamp to version 5.63 build 3235 or later. As a compensating control, disable automatic media file handling or avoid opening untrusted AVI files from unknown sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,864.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4045 — 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-2012-4045 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data