18 January 2008, 17:00

Streaming radio causes new threat in Winamp

Security company Secunia has on Friday warned of two critical security holes in the popular audio player Winamp. Attackers can use specially crafted data streams to execute malicious code on a user's machine. A updated version of Winamp without the flaw is available.

The holes are located in the in_mp3.dll library. Flawed length checks when processing metadata in data streams sent via AOL's Ultravox protocol can cause a buffers overflow, enabling attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code. The flaws are exploited using excessively long values in the <artist> and <name> fields. AOL uses the Ultravox protocol to provide internet radio stations at AOL Radio.

Secunia has confirmed the vulnerability is present in Winamp versions 5.21, 5.5, and 5.51, but other versions may also be affected. Version 5.52, which doesn't contain the vulnerabilities, is now available for download from the Winamp web site, and users are advised to update their players as soon as possible.