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Vlc Media PlayerApplication · Videolan

CVE-2013-1868

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-07-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.0.4 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
Multiple buffer overflows in VideoLAN VLC media player 2.0.4 and earlier allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and execute arbitrary code via vectors related to the (1) freetype renderer and (2) HTML subtitle parser.

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

Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in VLC media player 2.0.4 and earlier within the freetype renderer and HTML subtitle parser components. Remote attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities through maliciously crafted subtitle files to cause denial of service (crash) or achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate VLC media player to a version newer than 2.0.4 to obtain patched versions of the freetype renderer and HTML subtitle parser components.

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
Vlc Media PlayerApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.4= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3

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. Identify installed VLC version
    Run 'vlc --version' on Linux, check Help > About in VLC on Windows/Mac, or inspect the vlc binary file properties
    Affected if Version is 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, or 2.0.4 (or any version <= 2.0.4)
  2. Confirm freetype renderer is in use
    Open VLC, go to Tools > Preferences > Video > Subtitles/OSD and verify the 'Text rendering module' is set to 'Default' or any freetype-based renderer
    Affected if Freetype-based subtitle renderer is enabled and VLC processes subtitle files
  3. Verify HTML subtitle parser is active
    Check Tools > Preferences > Input / Codecs > Subtitles, look for 'Subtitle parser' or 'Subtitle track' settings that handle HTML-formatted subtitles
    Affected if HTML subtitle parsing capability is enabled and subtitle files are being opened
  4. Identify subtitle file usage
    Review recent file open operations or monitor for .srt, .ass, .ssa, .html, or other subtitle file extensions being loaded into VLC
    Affected if User opens or auto-loads maliciously crafted subtitle files
  5. Check for freetype module file
    Locate the freetype module in the VLC installation directory (typically named libfreetype*.so, freetype.dll, or similar) and note its version if discoverable
    Affected if Freetype module exists and is used for subtitle rendering in the vulnerable version range

User is affected if VLC version is 2.0.4 or earlier AND the application processes subtitle files using the freetype renderer or HTML subtitle parser.

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 2.0.4
Interim mitigation

Update VLC media player to a version newer than 2.0.4 to obtain patched versions of the freetype renderer and HTML subtitle parser components.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

VLC Media Player 2.0.5 or later

  1. 1. Download VLC Media Player version 2.0.5 or later from the official VideoLAN website (https://www.videolan.org/)
  2. 2. Verify the downloaded installer matches the SHA256 checksum provided on the official download page
  3. 3. Close all running instances of VLC Media Player
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade VLC
  5. 5. After installation, verify the version by opening VLC and checking Help > About (should show version 2.0.5 or later)
Caveat Minor version upgrade within 2.0.x series; no significant breaking changes expected for typical usage

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

Fix this in Vlc Media Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2013-1868 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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