CVE-2013-7340 in VLC Media Player
Summary
by MITRE
VideoLAN VLC Media Player before 2.0.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a crafted playlist file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-7340 affects VideoLAN VLC Media Player versions prior to 2.0.7, representing a significant denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely through malicious playlist files. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory consumption attacks, where an attacker can craft specific playlist content that causes the media player to consume excessive system resources, ultimately leading to system instability or complete service unavailability. The flaw demonstrates a critical design oversight in how the player processes playlist files, particularly when handling malformed or specially constructed data structures that trigger memory allocation patterns beyond normal operational parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of playlist file formats that VLC Media Player processes during playback initialization. When a maliciously crafted playlist file is loaded, the player's parser fails to properly validate or limit memory allocation for certain playlist elements, particularly those involving recursive or nested structures. This allows an attacker to construct playlist files that cause the application to continuously allocate memory without proper bounds checking, leading to gradual memory exhaustion. The vulnerability specifically targets the playlist handling subsystem, which is fundamental to VLC's operation since it manages media file sequences and playback order. The flaw can be categorized under CWE-400 as an Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability, where the application fails to properly manage resource allocation limits during processing of untrusted input data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to users who may unknowingly encounter malicious playlist files through various attack vectors such as email attachments, compromised websites, or peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can deliver malicious payloads without requiring local system access or user interaction beyond the simple act of opening a playlist file. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may inadvertently open compromised media playlists, potentially causing widespread service disruption across multiple systems. The memory consumption behavior can manifest as gradual system slowdowns followed by complete application crashes, making detection and mitigation challenging for end users who may not immediately recognize the cause of performance degradation.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code or cause system instability. Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense including regular software updates, network segmentation to limit playlist file access, and user education about the risks of opening untrusted media files. The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrading to VLC Media Player version 2.0.7 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and memory allocation controls for playlist processing. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict the execution of media players from untrusted sources and deploy network monitoring solutions to detect unusual memory consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of input validation and resource management in multimedia applications, particularly those handling user-supplied content that can be manipulated to cause system-level instability.