VLC media player: Format string vulnerability

1. Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

Advisory Reference	GLSA 200701-24 / vlc
Release Date	January 26, 2007
Latest Revision	January 26, 2007: 01
Impact	normal
Exploitable	remote

Package	Vulnerable versions	Unaffected versions	Architecture(s)
media-video/vlc	< 0.8.6-r1	>= 0.8.6-r1	All supported architectures

Related bugreports: #159845

Synopsis

VLC media player improperly handles format strings, allowing for the execution of arbitrary code.

2. Impact Information

Background

VLC media player is a multimedia player for various audio and video formats.

Description

Kevin Finisterre has discovered that when handling media locations, various functions throughout VLC media player make improper use of format strings.

Impact

An attacker could entice a user to open a specially crafted media location or M3U file with VLC media player, and execute arbitrary code on the system with the rights of the user running VLC media player.

3. Resolution Information

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All VLC media player users should upgrade to the latest version:

Code Listing 3.1: Resolution

# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=media-video/vlc-0.8.6-r1"

4. References

CVE-2007-0017

Updated January 26, 2007

Summary: This is a Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

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