CVE-2010-1444 in VLC Media Player
Summary
by MITRE
The ZIP archive decompressor in VideoLAN VLC media player before 1.0.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid memory access and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted archive.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1444 represents a critical security flaw in the VideoLAN VLC media player software affecting versions prior to 1.0.6. This issue resides within the ZIP archive decompressor component that processes compressed files during media playback operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the decompression routine, creating a potential attack surface for malicious actors to exploit through specially crafted ZIP archives.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper handling of malformed ZIP archive structures during the decompression process. When VLC attempts to extract files from a maliciously constructed ZIP archive, the decompressor fails to properly validate the archive metadata and file headers. This leads to invalid memory access patterns where the application attempts to read or write to memory locations that are either uninitialized, already freed, or otherwise inaccessible. The flaw manifests as either a segmentation fault causing an application crash or potentially allows for arbitrary code execution through memory corruption techniques.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to users who may unknowingly download or receive malicious ZIP archives through various attack vectors including email attachments, malicious websites, or peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The remote exploitation capability means attackers can trigger the vulnerability without requiring local access to the target system, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently handle untrusted media files. The potential for arbitrary code execution escalates the risk beyond simple denial of service, as attackers could gain full control over affected systems.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes "Out-of-bounds Read" conditions where programs access memory locations outside the bounds of allocated buffers. Additionally, it relates to CWE-787, "Out-of-bounds Write" conditions that occur when programs write to memory locations outside the bounds of allocated buffers. The attack pattern follows ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic' which could be leveraged through malicious media files, and T1203 for "Exploitation for Client Execution" when users inadvertently open compromised archives.
Organizations and individual users should immediately upgrade to VLC media player version 1.0.6 or later to remediate this vulnerability. System administrators should implement network-based controls to block suspicious ZIP archive files and consider deploying endpoint protection solutions with behavioral monitoring capabilities. Regular security assessments should include verification of media player versions and configuration settings to prevent exploitation attempts. Users should exercise caution when opening media files from untrusted sources and maintain current antivirus signatures to detect potential malicious payloads. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory safety practices in multimedia processing applications, particularly those handling untrusted user input through decompression routines.