Vulnerability Note VU#361181

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.

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

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.