CVE-2011-10023 in QuickPlayer
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2025
MJM QuickPlayer (also known as MJM Player) version 2010 contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability triggered by opening a malicious .s3m music file. The flaw occurs due to improper bounds checking in the file parser, allowing an attacker to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code. Exploitation is achieved via a crafted payload that bypasses DEP and ASLR protections using ROP techniques, and requires user interaction to open the file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2026
The CVE-2011-10023 vulnerability represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw in MJM QuickPlayer version 2010, which was later rebranded as MJM Player. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the software's file parsing mechanism specifically designed to handle .s3m music files. The .s3m format is a tracker music file format commonly used in retro gaming and demoscene productions, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it targets multimedia applications that process user-supplied content. The flaw exists in the parser's handling of malformed file headers and metadata fields, where the application fails to properly validate the size of incoming data before copying it into fixed-size buffers on the stack.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the attacker crafting a malicious .s3m file that contains oversized data structures within its header or sample information sections. When the vulnerable player attempts to parse this malformed file, the insufficient bounds checking causes data to overflow into adjacent stack memory locations, potentially overwriting return addresses, saved registers, and other critical execution context. This buffer overflow creates an opportunity for arbitrary code execution, as the attacker can manipulate the program's execution flow by controlling the overwritten return addresses. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which specifically addresses buffer overflows occurring in stack memory regions where the buffer size is insufficient to handle the incoming data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as exploitation requires bypassing modern exploit mitigations such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). Attackers typically employ Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) chains to overcome these protections, leveraging existing code snippets within the application or system libraries to construct malicious execution paths without directly injecting new code. This approach makes the exploit more reliable and harder to detect by security systems. The attack requires user interaction to succeed, meaning a victim must explicitly open the malicious file, but this interaction requirement does not prevent the vulnerability from being exploited through social engineering, phishing campaigns, or malicious file sharing in environments where users trust the source of multimedia content.
The exploitation techniques used in CVE-2011-10023 align with ATT&CK framework tactics including T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, where attackers leverage application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code. The vulnerability demonstrates how legacy multimedia applications often lack proper memory safety mechanisms that are standard in modern software development practices. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling support for the vulnerable file format, applying vendor patches when available, and deploying application whitelisting solutions to prevent execution of untrusted multimedia files. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and bounds checking in all file parsing operations, emphasizing the need for defensive programming practices that prevent buffer overflows through proper memory management and data validation techniques.