CVE-2011-2951 in RealPlayer
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in RealNetworks RealPlayer 11.0 through 11.1 and 14.0.0 through 14.0.5, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, and Mac RealPlayer 12.0.0.1569 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted raw_data_frame field in an AAC file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2951 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting multiple versions of RealNetworks RealPlayer software across different platforms. This security issue impacts RealPlayer versions 11.0 through 11.1, 14.0.0 through 14.0.5, RealPlayer SP 1.0 through 1.1.5, and Mac RealPlayer 12.0.0.1569, making it a widespread concern for users of these multimedia applications. The flaw specifically resides in the handling of audio files, particularly those containing Advanced Audio Coding format data with malformed raw_data_frame fields that trigger memory corruption during playback operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the AAC file parser component of RealPlayer. When the application encounters a crafted AAC file with an oversized or malformed raw_data_frame field, the software fails to properly bounds-check the data before copying it into fixed-size memory buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition occurs because the application does not adequately verify the length of incoming data against the allocated buffer space, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations with malicious content. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking permits memory corruption through improper data handling.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-2951 extends beyond simple application crashes, as it provides remote attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. This remote code execution vulnerability means that attackers can potentially gain complete control over affected systems without requiring local access or user interaction beyond opening the malicious file. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it can be delivered through email attachments, web downloads, or any method that delivers an infected AAC file to a victim's system. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script interpreter, as successful exploitation would allow attackers to execute commands with the privileges of the affected user.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in real-world scenarios where users might unknowingly open malicious media files. The buffer overflow occurs during normal playback operations when RealPlayer attempts to parse the malformed AAC data, creating an opportunity for attackers to inject and execute malicious code payloads. Security researchers have documented that this vulnerability can be leveraged to bypass many standard security controls, including user permission checks and application sandboxing mechanisms that might normally protect against such attacks. Organizations and individuals using affected RealPlayer versions face significant risk of compromise, as the vulnerability affects widely deployed multimedia software across multiple operating systems including windows and macos platforms. The remediation approach requires immediate patching or complete removal of the vulnerable software, as no reliable workarounds exist for this specific buffer overflow condition.