VLC media player copies an RTSP response line into a fixed buffer without guaranteeing termination and then treats that buffer as a C string. RtspReadLine in modules/access/rtsp/access.c calls strncpy with the full buffer length, which writes no terminator when the source line is at least as long as the destination, and rtspget in modules/access/rtsp/rtsp.c allocates that buffer as BUFSIZE bytes and passes it to strdup. When a server returns a line of 4096 bytes or more, strdup measures its length past the end of the allocation and copies adjacent heap bytes until an incidental zero byte. Because the affected line is the Session header, the disclosed bytes are retained as the session identifier and sent back to the server on every subsequent request, so the operator of a hostile server reads heap memory from the client rather than inferring it. The attacker controls the line length and therefore how far the read runs. A single playlist entry naming a realrtsp URL is sufficient. The module is a build-time option, disabled in some distribution packages and enabled in the official VideoLAN builds.

VLC media player computes the size of a picture buffer with 32-bit arithmetic and allocates from the wrapped result. In AllocatePicture in src/misc/picture.c the running total is accumulated as ibytes += p->ipitch p->ilines, and both planet fields are declared int in include/vlcpicture.h, so the multiplication is evaluated at 32 bits and wraps before it is widened to the sizet accumulator. The overflow check that precedes it divides in 64-bit arithmetic and therefore does not constrain the product, and the subsequent comparison against PICTURESWSIZEMAX examines the already wrapped value, so both guards pass. alignedalloc then reserves the small wrapped size while the decoder writes scanlines sized from the original dimensions. A crafted PNG whose IHDR declares large width and height reaches this path through the image demuxer, whose only size guard is on the input file's byte count rather than the declared dimensions, and the decoder in modules/codec/png.c writes past the end of the allocation with attacker-influenced length and content. Opening the file directly or through a playlist entry is sufficient, with no non-default settings.

A vulnerability in EbmlTypeDispatcher::send in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.11 allows attackers to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow via a crafted .mkv file.

The ASFReadObjectfileproperties function in modules/demux/asf/libasf.c in the ASF Demuxer in VideoLAN VLC Media Player before 2.1.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (divide-by-zero error and crash) via a zero minimum and maximum data packet size in an ASF file.

VideoLAN VLC Media Player before 2.0.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a crafted playlist file.

The parseRTSPRequestString function in Live Networks Live555 Streaming Media 2013.11.26, as used in VideoLAN VLC Media Player, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a space character at the beginning of an RTSP message, which triggers an integer underflow, infinite loop, and buffer overflow. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-6933.

VideoLAN VLC Media Player 2.0.8 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long string in a URL in a m3u file.

requests/status.xml in VLC 0.9.8a allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack consumption and crash) via a long input argument in an inplay action.

Last updated 24 July 2024

Last updated 24 July 2024

codec\libpngplugin.dll in VideoLAN VLC Media Player 2.1.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted .png file, as demonstrated by a png in a .wave file.

Stack-based buffer overflow in VideoLAN VLC Media Player 0.8.6 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an ogg file with a crafted Advanced SubStation Alpha Subtitle (.ass) file, probably involving the Dialogue field.

Multiple format string vulnerabilities in (1) the cdiologhandler function in modules/access/cdda/access.c in the CDDA (libcddaplugin) plugin, and the (2) cdiologhandler and (3) vcdloghandler functions in modules/access/vcdx/access.c in the VCDX (libvcdxplugin) plugin, in VideoLAN VLC 0.7.0 through 0.8.6 allow user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via format string specifiers in an invalid URI, as demonstrated by a udp://-- URI in an M3U file.

mmstu.c in VideoLAN VLC media player before 3.0.22 allows an out-of-bounds read and denial of service via a crafted 0x01 response from an MMS server.

A Buffer Overflow in VLC Media Player < 3.0.7 causes a crash which can possibly be further developed into a remote code execution exploit.

A vulnerability in mkv::eventthreadt in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.7.1 allows remote attackers to trigger a heap-based buffer overflow via a crafted .mkv file.

Last updated 26 August 2025

A heap-based buffer over-read exists in DemuxInit() in demux/asf/asf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.7.1 via a crafted .mkv file.

Last updated 26 August 2025

A divide-by-zero error exists in the SeekIndex function of demux/asf/asf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.7.1. As a result, an FPE can be triggered via a crafted WMV file.

In VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.7.1, there is a NULL pointer dereference at the function SeekPercent of demux/asf/asf.c that will lead to a denial of service attack.

Last updated 26 August 2025

A divide-by-zero error exists in the Control function of demux/caf.c in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.7.1. As a result, an FPE can be triggered via a crafted CAF file.

Last updated 26 August 2025

A heap-based buffer over-read in xiphPackHeaders() in modules/demux/xiph.h in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.0.7.1 allows remote attackers to trigger a heap-based buffer over-read via a crafted .ogg file.

Last updated 25 August 2025

An Integer Underflow in MP4EIA608Convert() in modules/demux/mp4/mp4.c in VideoLAN VLC media player through 3.0.7.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow and crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted .mp4 file.

An issue was discovered in zlibdecompressextra in modules/demux/mkv/util.cpp in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.x through 3.0.7. The Matroska demuxer, while parsing a malformed MKV file type, has a double free.

Last updated 26 August 2025

DISPUTED plugins/demux/libmkvplugin.dll in VideoLAN VLC Media Player 2.0.7, and possibly other versions, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted MKV file, possibly involving an integer overflow and out-of-bounds read or heap-based buffer overflow, or an uncaught exception. NOTE: the vendor disputes the severity and claimed vulnerability type of this issue, stating "This PoC crashes VLC, indeed, but does nothing more... this is not an integer overflow error, but an uncaught exception and I doubt that it is exploitable. This uncaught exception makes VLC abort, not execute random code, on my Linux 64bits machine." A PoC posted by the original researcher shows signs of an attacker-controlled out-of-bounds read, but the affected instruction does not involve a register that directly influences control flow.