Vulnerability Note VU#361181

Helix Player format string vulnerability

Overview

Helix Player, and media players based on the Helix Player, contain a format string vulnerability that may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system.

I. Description

Helix Player is used to play various types of media files on UNIX systems. The Helix Media Player contains a format string vulnerability in the routines that handle media files. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user to access a specially crafted media file, such as a realpix (*.rp) or realtext (*.rt) file. In addition, web browsers can be configured to automatically launch the Helix Player when media content is encountered, thus an attack may be triggered by visiting a malicious website.

This issue also affects media players based on the Helix Player, including Real Player for Linux systems. Note there is publicly available exploit code for this vulnerability.

II. Impact

A remote attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Helix Media Player process.

III. Solution

Upgrade

This vulnerability was corrected in Helix Player 1.0.6 and Real Player 10 for Linux.

Do not access media files from untrusted sources

Accessing media files from trusted or known sources only will reduce the chances of exploitation.

Disable Helix Player or Real Player for Linux support in the web browser

Configuring a web browser to not automatically launch the Helix Player when media content is encountered will reduce the chances of exploitation.

Systems Affected

Vendor	Status	Date Updated
Debian Linux	Vulnerable	30-Sep-2005
RealNetworks, Inc.	Vulnerable	30-Sep-2005
Red Hat, Inc.	Vulnerable	29-Sep-2005

References

https://player.helixcommunity.org/2005/releases/hx1gold/HX1_0_6ReleaseNotes.html
http://service.real.com/help/faq/security/050930_player/EN/
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2005-788.html
http://secunia.com/advisories/16954/
http://secunia.com/advisories/16961/
http://www.idefense.com/application/poi/display?id=311&type=vulnerabilities&flashstatus=true

Credit

This vulnerability was reported by c0ntexb.

This document was written by Jeff Gennari.

Other Information

Date Public	09/26/2005
Date First Published	09/28/2005 02:20:28 PM
Date Last Updated	10/04/2005
CERT Advisory
CVE Name	CAN-2005-2710
US-CERT Technical Alerts
Metric	12.58
Document Revision	52

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Produced 2005 by US-CERT, a government organization
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