CVE-2012-5691
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer before 16.0.0.282 and RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted RealMedia 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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in RealNetworks RealPlayer when parsing malformed RealMedia files. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting a malicious RealMedia file that triggers a buffer overflow during file parsing.
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<= 16.0.0= 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 application in the system. On Windows, check Program Files for 'RealPlayer' folder or check Add/Remove Programs. On Mac, check Applications folder.Affected if RealPlayer is found on the system
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Identify the installed RealPlayer versionOpen RealPlayer and navigate to Help > About RealPlayer, or right-click the RealPlayer executable and select Properties > Details to view the version number.Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected versions listed: RealPlayer <= 16.0.0, or versions 4/5/6/7/8/10.0/10.5/11.0/11.0.1/11.0.2/11.0.2.1744, 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
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Verify RealMedia file handling capabilityCheck if RealPlayer has the capability to open or preview RealMedia (.rm, .rmvb) files. This is the parsing function that triggers the vulnerability.Affected if RealPlayer can process RealMedia files and the version is within the affected range
You are affected if RealPlayer or RealPlayer SP is installed with a version matching the affected list and the application can parse RealMedia files.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade RealPlayer to version 16.0.0.282 or later to patch the vulnerability. Until upgraded, avoid opening RealMedia files from untrusted or unknown sources.
RealPlayer 16.0.0.282 or later
- 1. Open the RealPlayer application or navigate to the official RealPlayer download page at service.real.com
- 2. Check the current installed version by accessing the application help or about menu
- 3. Download the latest version of RealPlayer (16.0.0.282 or later) from the official source
- 4. Uninstall the current version of RealPlayer if upgrading to a newer major version
- 5. Install the downloaded fixed version (16.0.0.282 or later)
- 6. Verify the installation was successful and confirm the version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-5691 — 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-2012-5691 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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