CVE-2008-1309: RealPlayer ActiveX Control Heap Memory Corruption

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 20 September 2026. Confidence: high.

high priorityAlthough not in KEV, the vulnerability allows remote code execution, has a high EPSS score, and public exploit code is referenced, making it a serious risk for unpatched systems.

What it is

The RealAudioObjects.RealAudio ActiveX control in rmoc3260.dll mishandles memory for the Console and Controls properties, allowing a series of long string assignments to overwrite freed heap memory. This affects RealPlayer Enterprise, RealPlayer 10, RealPlayer 10.5 before build 6.0.12.1675, and RealPlayer 11 before 11.0.3 build 6.0.14.806. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution or a browser crash.

Impact

An attacker can execute arbitrary code in the context of the user or cause a denial of service by crashing the browser. The CVSS 2.0 score of 9.3 reflects complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Attack surface

The vulnerability is reached remotely over the network via a malicious web page that instantiates the ActiveX control and performs the crafted string assignments. No authentication is required, but some user interaction (visiting the page) is needed, as indicated by the AV:N/AC:M vector.

Exploitation

The record is not listed in CISA KEV, but EPSS is 0.4595 (98.75th percentile) and a SecurityFocus reference is tagged Exploit, indicating public exploit code exists. No ransomware groups are documented using it.

What to do

• Apply the vendor patch by upgrading RealPlayer to the fixed builds listed in the advisory (10.5 build 6.0.12.1675 or later, 11.0.3 build 6.0.14.806 or later).
• Disable or remove the RealAudioObjects.RealAudio ActiveX control (rmoc3260.dll) where RealPlayer is not required.
• Configure Internet Explorer to prompt before running ActiveX controls, or block the specific CLSID in the killbit list.
• Restrict browsing to trusted sites and educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted pages that may load ActiveX content.

Detection

• Monitor for processes loading rmoc3260.dll, especially when spawned from browser processes.
• Look for unusual browser crashes or heap corruption events correlated with RealPlayer ActiveX usage.
• Search endpoint logs for the RealAudioObjects.RealAudio CLSID being instantiated from non-corporate or untrusted origins.
• Use network detection to identify pages hosting the known exploit (e.g., Exploit-DB 5332) or related malicious content.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.