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RealplayerApplication · Realnetworks

CVE-2012-5690

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-12-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.0.0 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
RealNetworks RealPlayer before 16.0.0.282 and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a RealAudio file that triggers access to an invalid pointer.

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 confidence

Buffer/invalid pointer vulnerability in RealPlayer media player where a specially crafted RealAudio file triggers access to an invalid pointer, leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability exists in the RealAudio file parsing logic prior to version 16.0.0.282.

MitigationUpgrade to RealPlayer 16.0.0.282 or later. Until patched, refrain from opening RealAudio files from untrusted sources to avoid potential remote code execution.

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:<= 16.0.0= 4= 5= 6= 7= 8= 10.0= 10.5= 11.0= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.2.1744
Realplayer SpApplication
Affected:= 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= 1.1.5

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if RealPlayer is installed
    On Windows, check Program Files for RealPlayer folder or look in Add/Remove Programs. On Mac, check /Applications folder for RealPlayer.app
    Affected if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is present on the system
  2. Identify installed RealPlayer version
    Open RealPlayer, go to Help > About RealPlayer to display the version number. Alternatively, right-click the executable and view Properties > Details for version info
    Affected if Version is any of: RealPlayer 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.0, 10.5, 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.2.1744, 16.0.0 (prior to build 282), or RealPlayer SP versions 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, 1.1.5
  3. Verify RealAudio file type handler is registered
    Check file associations for .ra, .ram, .rmj extensions in Windows Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types, or check in RealPlayer settings for supported formats
    Affected if RealPlayer is set as the default handler for RealAudio file types (.ra, .ram, .rmj)
  4. Confirm RealAudio codec component exists
    Check for the presence of RealAudio codec files in the RealPlayer installation directory, typically found in the codecs or plugins subfolder
    Affected if RealAudio parsing components are installed as part of RealPlayer

You are affected if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is installed with any version prior to 16.0.0.282 and the RealAudio parsing module is present and functional 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 16.0.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to RealPlayer 16.0.0.282 or later. Until patched, refrain from opening RealAudio files from untrusted sources to avoid potential remote code execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

RealPlayer 16.0.0.282 or later / RealPlayer SP 1.1.5 or later

  1. 1. Uninstall the current version of RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP from the system
  2. 2. Download the latest version of RealPlayer from the official RealNetworks website at service.real.com
  3. 3. Install the latest RealPlayer version (16.0.0.282 or later for RealPlayer, or the latest RealPlayer SP version after 1.1.5)
  4. 4. Restart any browser or media player instances
  5. 5. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release
Caveat RealPlayer is legacy software with limited ongoing support; ensure any required codec compatibility or playlist configurations are backed up before reinstalling

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

Fix this in Realplayer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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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-2012-5690 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