CVE-2020-37050 in Quick Player
Summary
by MITRE • 01/31/2026
Quick Player 1.3 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting a malicious .m3l file with carefully constructed payload. Attackers can trigger the vulnerability by loading a specially crafted file through the application's file loading mechanism, potentially enabling remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-37050 resides within Quick Player version 1.3, a media playback application that processes multimedia files including .m3l format files. This buffer overflow vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that can be exploited to achieve remote code execution on affected systems. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application attempts to load and process a maliciously crafted .m3l file through its standard file loading mechanism.
The technical flaw occurs due to inadequate input validation and memory management within the Quick Player application's parsing routine for .m3l files. When processing a specially constructed payload within the .m3l file format, the application fails to properly bounds-check the data being read into fixed-size buffers. This lack of proper boundary checking allows an attacker to overflow the allocated memory space, potentially overwriting adjacent memory locations including return addresses and control data structures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios that can occur when insufficient bounds checking is performed during memory allocation operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple local code execution to potentially enable full system compromise when exploited by remote attackers. An attacker who successfully triggers this buffer overflow can gain arbitrary code execution privileges on the target system, potentially allowing them to install malware, establish persistence mechanisms, or escalate privileges to administrator level access. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can deliver malicious .m3l files through various attack vectors including email attachments, malicious websites, or compromised download sources without requiring physical access to the target system. This characteristic places organizations at significant risk as the attack surface expands to include any user who might inadvertently load a malicious file.
The exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly relating to initial access and execution phases. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through social engineering techniques to deliver malicious .m3l files that appear legitimate to end users, or through automated scanning systems that identify vulnerable Quick Player installations. The attack chain typically begins with the delivery of the malicious file, followed by user interaction to load the file through Quick Player, which then triggers the buffer overflow and subsequent code execution. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and application whitelisting policies to reduce the potential impact of such vulnerabilities, as well as maintaining up-to-date antivirus signatures and endpoint detection systems that can identify suspicious .m3l file patterns. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper input validation and memory safety practices in multimedia applications, particularly those handling user-supplied content, and highlights the need for regular security assessments and patch management procedures to address similar flaws in legacy software systems.