CVE-2012-1775 in VLC Media Player
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in VideoLAN VLC media player before 2.0.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted MMS:// stream.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1775 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw in VideoLAN VLC media player versions prior to 2.0.1. This vulnerability specifically affects the handling of MMS:// streams, which are Microsoft Media Server streams commonly used for streaming multimedia content over the internet. The flaw exists in the media player's parsing logic for these particular stream protocols, creating an exploitable condition that can be remotely triggered by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within VLC's MMS stream processing module. When the media player encounters a crafted MMS:// stream, the application fails to properly bounds-check data received from the network stream before copying it into a fixed-size stack buffer. This classic buffer overflow condition allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent stack memory locations, potentially corrupting the program's execution flow. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through remote network access without requiring user interaction, making it a prime target for automated attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations and individual users who rely on VLC for multimedia playback. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems with the same privileges as the VLC process, typically running with user-level permissions but potentially escalating to system-level access depending on the target environment. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no user interaction beyond the automatic playback of a malicious stream, making it suitable for drive-by attacks. The vulnerability affects a widely used media player across multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, amplifying its potential impact.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter), as attackers can use the buffer overflow to execute malicious code on target systems. From a CWE perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-121, which describes Stack-based Buffer Overflow, and CWE-787, which covers Out-of-bounds Write. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of CWE-119, which addresses Weaknesses in Memory Management, as the improper bounds checking leads to memory corruption that can be leveraged for code execution. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to VLC version 2.0.1 or later, which contains patches addressing the buffer overflow condition, and network segmentation to prevent unauthorized access to systems running vulnerable versions. Additionally, security awareness training should emphasize the importance of avoiding untrusted media streams and keeping media player software updated to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.