CVE-2012-5855

CVE-2012-5855 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Videolan Vlc Media Player with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-189.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.3)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (65th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-189
• Affected product: Videolan Vlc Media Player
• Published: 2013-07-10
• Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The SHAddToRecentDocs function in VideoLAN VLC media player 2.0.4 and earlier might allow user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted file name that triggers an incorrect string-length calculation when the file is added to VLC. NOTE: it is not clear whether this issue crosses privilege boundaries or whether it can be exploited without user interaction.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-5855?

The SHAddToRecentDocs function in VideoLAN VLC media player 2.0.4 and earlier might allow user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted file name that triggers an incorrect string-length calculation when the file is added to VLC. NOTE: it is not clear whether this issue crosses privilege boundaries or whether it can be exploited without user interaction.

How severe is CVE-2012-5855?

CVE-2012-5855 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2012-5855 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2012-5855?

CVE-2012-5855 primarily affects Videolan Vlc Media Player. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2012-5855?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2012-5855 published?

CVE-2012-5855 was published on 2013-07-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

• http://marc.info/?l=oss-security&m=135274330022215&w=2
• http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/524626
• https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A16781

Affected products (5)

• cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:2.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:2.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:videolan:vlc_media_player:2.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Videolan Vlc Media Player

• CVE-2008-0296 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Heap-based buffer overflow in the libaccess_realrtsp plugin in VideoLAN VLC Media Player 0.8.6d and earlier on Windows…
• CVE-2023-47359 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Videolan VLC prior to version 3.0.20 contains an incorrect offset read that leads to a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in…
• CVE-2019-13962 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): lavc_CopyPicture in modules/codec/avcodec/video.c in VideoLAN VLC media player through 3.0.7 has a heap-based buffer…
• CVE-2019-12874 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in zlib_decompress_extra in modules/demux/mkv/util.cpp in VideoLAN VLC media player 3.x through…
• CVE-2017-10699 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): avcodec 2.2.x, as used in VideoLAN VLC media player 2.2.7-x before 2017-06-29, allows out-of-bounds heap memory write…
• CVE-2016-5108 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Buffer overflow in the DecodeAdpcmImaQT function in modules/codec/adpcm.c in VideoLAN VLC media player before 2.2.4…

All CVEs affecting Videolan Vlc Media Player →

Other CWE-189 (Numeric Errors) vulnerabilities

• CVE-2015-8396 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function in…
• CVE-2015-7205 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer underflow in the RTPReceiverVideo::ParseRtpPacket function in Mozilla Firefox before 43.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x…
• CVE-2015-6575 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SampleTable.cpp in libstagefright in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48I does not properly consider integer promotion, which…
• CVE-2015-3864 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer underflow in the MPEG4Extractor::parseChunk function in MPEG4Extractor.cpp in libstagefright in mediaserver in…
• CVE-2015-3836 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Parse_wave function in arm-wt-22k/lib_src/eas_mdls.c in the Sonivox DLS-to-EAS converter in Android before 5.1.1…
• CVE-2015-3834 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple integer overflows in the BnHDCP::onTransact function in media/libmedia/IHDCP.cpp in libstagefright in Android…

Browse all CWE-189 (Numeric Errors) vulnerabilities →