# CVE-2008-5911: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service in RealNetworks Helix Server via crafted RTSP or authentication requests.

- **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Jan 2009
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gfhg-4w55-8q3g

## What is CVE-2008-5911?

CVE-2008-5911 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Jan 2009. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Multiple buffer overflows in RealNetworks Helix Server and Helix Mobile Server 11.x before 11.1.8 and 12.x before 12.0.1 allow remote attackers to (1) cause a denial of service via three crafted RTSP SETUP commands, or execute arbitrary code via (2) an NTLM authentication request with malformed base64-encoded data, (3) an RTSP DESCRIBE command, or (4) a DataConvertBuffer request.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-5911?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Realnetworks Helix Server, Realnetworks Helix Server Mobile.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-5911?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-5911 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2008-5911 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5911 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2009-2533](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-2533/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2009-2534](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-2534/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-5911 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-5911 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Jan 2009. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5911 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5911/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5911/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-5911
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5911
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-5911

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5911/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.