# CVE-2011-0522: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code via a malformed subtitle in an MKV file, triggering heap corruption in VLC Media Player.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 7 Feb 2011
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2011-0522, GHSA-fw4m-69v6-35wh

## What is CVE-2011-0522?

CVE-2011-0522 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Videolan Vlc Media Player, published on 7 Feb 2011. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The StripTags function in (1) the USF decoder (modules/codec/subtitles/subsdec.c) and (2) the Text decoder (modules/codec/subtitles/subsusf.c) in VideoLAN VLC Media Player 1.1 before 1.1.6-rc allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a subtitle with an opening "<" without a closing ">" in an MKV file, which triggers heap memory corruption, as demonstrated using refined-australia-blu720p-sample.mkv.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-0522?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Videolan Vlc Media Player.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-0522?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2011-0522 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-0522 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- VideoLAN VLC Media Player 1.1 - Subtitle 'StripTags()' Memory Corruption (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Videolan Vlc Media Player

- [CVE-2008-0296](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0296/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2023-47359](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-47359/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-12874](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12874/): Use after free in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-10699](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10699/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2013-1868](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1868/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-0522 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-0522 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Videolan Vlc Media Player, published on 7 Feb 2011. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-0522 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Videolan Vlc Media Player. 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-2011-0522/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0522/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-0522
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-0522
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-0522

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0522/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.