CVE-2006-6601 in Windows Media Player
Summary
by MITRE
Windows Media Player 10.00.00.4036 in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 allows user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a .MID (MIDI) file with a malformed header chunk without any track chunks, possibly involving (1) number of tracks of (2) time division fields that are set to 0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2025
This vulnerability resides in Windows Media Player version 10.00.00.4036, which is part of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, presenting a significant denial of service risk that can be exploited by remote attackers with user assistance. The flaw specifically targets the handling of .MID (MIDI) files and occurs when a maliciously crafted file contains a malformed header chunk without any track chunks. This particular vulnerability demonstrates how multimedia processing applications can be susceptible to malformed input that triggers unexpected behavior in the underlying parsing logic.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper validation of MIDI file structures during the parsing process. When Windows Media Player encounters a MIDI file with a header chunk that lacks track chunks, and where either the number of tracks field or the time division field is set to zero, the application's parsing routine fails to handle this edge case gracefully. This malformed structure causes the player to enter an undefined state where it cannot properly process the file, leading to a complete denial of service condition. The vulnerability specifically exploits the absence of proper bounds checking and input validation in the MIDI file parser, which is a classic example of insufficient input validation as categorized under CWE-20.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a medium severity threat that requires user interaction to be exploited effectively. An attacker would need to convince a target user to open a specially crafted MIDI file, which could be delivered through various attack vectors including email attachments, malicious websites, or file sharing networks. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect the overall system stability and user productivity. When exploited, the vulnerability causes Windows Media Player to crash or become unresponsive, preventing users from accessing legitimate media content and potentially requiring system restarts to restore normal operation.
The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques, particularly those related to execution and privilege escalation through application exploitation. It demonstrates how media processing applications can serve as attack vectors for denial of service attacks, which can be particularly problematic in enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious files through various channels. The exploitation requires minimal technical skill from the attacker, making it a potentially widespread threat. Additionally, this vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and error handling in multimedia processing applications, as it represents a failure in defensive programming practices that should prevent malformed data from causing application crashes.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate installation of Microsoft security patches that address the specific parsing issues in Windows Media Player. Organizations should also implement comprehensive endpoint protection measures including email filtering, web content filtering, and user education to prevent users from inadvertently opening malicious files. Network administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict the execution of untrusted media files, particularly in environments where users may be exposed to potentially malicious content. Regular system updates and security assessments are essential to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other multimedia processing applications and to maintain overall system security posture against evolving threats.