CVE-2012-4987
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 · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer 15.0.5.109 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted ZIP file that triggers incorrect processing of long pathnames by the Watch Folders feature.
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 stack-based buffer overflow in RealPlayer 15.0.5.109 occurs when processing crafted ZIP files containing excessively long pathnames. The Watch Folders feature does not properly validate pathname lengths before copying them to a fixed-size stack buffer, allowing attackers to overwrite return addresses and execute arbitrary code via user-assisted file opening.
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= 15.0.5.109CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/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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Confirm RealPlayer installationCheck for RealPlayer installation by searching for RealPlayer in program files or using system information tools (e.g., reg query on Windows for HKLM\SOFTWARE\RealNetworks, or check C:\Program Files\Real or similar locations)Affected if RealPlayer is not installed on the system
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Verify exact version is 15.0.5.109Locate the RealPlayer executable (usually named realplay.exe or similar in the RealPlayer installation directory) and check its version property, or use command: realplay.exe /version if supportedAffected if Installed version is exactly 15.0.5.109 (no other version ranges are specified as affected)
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Check if Watch Folders feature is enabledOpen RealPlayer settings/preferences and navigate to the Watch Folders configuration area (typically under Tools > Settings or similar), or inspect RealPlayer configuration files in the user profile for WatchFolder settingsAffected if Watch Folders feature is enabled and configured to monitor a folder
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Assess risk of opening untrusted ZIP filesReview user behavior and system practices regarding opening ZIP files, particularly those from untrusted sources, as the exploit requires user-assisted file openingAffected if Users regularly open ZIP files from unknown or untrusted sources in folders monitored by Watch Folders
A user is affected only if RealPlayer version 15.0.5.109 is installed, the Watch Folders feature is enabled, and a user opens a crafted ZIP file with excessively long pathnames in a monitored folder.
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 vendor patch/upgrade to latest RealPlayer version, and disable Watch Folders feature or avoid opening untrusted ZIP files until patched.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4987 — 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-2012-4987 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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