CVE-2010-3747 in RealPlayer
Summary
by MITRE
An ActiveX control in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4, and RealPlayer Enterprise 2.1.2 does not properly initialize an unspecified object component during parsing of a CDDA URI, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (uninitialized pointer dereference and application crash) via a long URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/27/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3747 represents a critical security flaw within RealNetworks RealPlayer software across multiple versions including 11.0 through 11.1, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.4, and RealPlayer Enterprise 2.1.2. This issue manifests through an ActiveX control that fails to properly initialize an unspecified object component during the parsing of a CDDA URI. The flaw constitutes a classic uninitialized pointer dereference vulnerability that can be exploited remotely to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically occurs when the ActiveX control processes a CDDA URI that contains an excessively long URI string, leading to memory corruption and application instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of object initialization within the ActiveX control component of RealPlayer. When processing a CDDA URI, the software fails to properly validate or initialize an object component before attempting to access its memory locations. This uninitialized object dereference creates a scenario where malicious actors can craft specially constructed URIs that trigger memory access violations. The flaw falls under CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference conditions, though in this case the issue involves uninitialized pointers rather than explicit null references. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage or opening a crafted file, making it highly exploitable in phishing campaigns and drive-by download attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on RealPlayer for multimedia content playback. The ability to execute arbitrary code remotely means that attackers could gain complete control over affected systems, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or deployment of additional malware. The denial of service component of the vulnerability further compounds the risk by allowing attackers to crash the RealPlayer application repeatedly, disrupting legitimate user activities and potentially creating persistent availability issues. The attack surface is broad since RealPlayer was widely deployed across enterprise networks and consumer systems, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for large organizations. According to ATT&CK framework category T1203, this vulnerability could be leveraged for process injection and privilege escalation attacks, while T1059 indicates potential for command execution through the compromised application.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-3747 should prioritize immediate patching of affected RealPlayer versions, as RealNetworks released security updates to address this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to RealPlayer functionality where possible, and consider disabling ActiveX controls in web browsers when they are not required for legitimate business purposes. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious URI patterns and unusual memory access behaviors in affected systems. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and proper object initialization practices in software development, with recommendations to implement defensive programming techniques such as null pointer checks, bounds validation, and proper memory management. Additionally, organizations should maintain updated vulnerability management processes to identify and remediate similar issues in other multimedia applications and ActiveX controls that may exhibit similar initialization flaws.