RealNetworks has issued security patches to fix four
critical vulnerabilities in its RealPlayer media
player.
The flaws allow remote hackers to use RealPlayer as a way to
take complete control of a user’s PC.
The problems exist in both current and some older releases of
RealPlayer. Some of the bugs are also found in RealNetwork’s
Rhapsody 3 music service.
Attackers can exploit the flaws using malicious media files
accessed by users.
The threats are serious in terms of the number of users
affected. The BBC website for instance, one of the most popular
sites in the UK, requires users to have RealPlayer installed to
access streamed video content.
RealNetworks played a key role in getting the European
Commission to bring a competition case against Microsoft, claiming
that Microsoft unfairly bundled Windows Media Player in its Windows
operating system to the detriment of competitors.
The patches are available to download from the RealNetworks
website.