CVE-2008-5911

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.

Published: 2009-01-20 Last update: 2026-04-23 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2008-5911 is rated High Risk (67.4/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 6.19%, 93th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2008-5911

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 16.43% 6.19% -10.25%
2 2025-03-30 14.31% 16.43% +2.13%
3 2025-03-29 14.31%

Full EPSS history (11 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2008-5911

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
10.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
10.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2008-5911

NVD evaluator notes for CVE-2008-5911

Impact: Per: http://docs.real.com/docs/security/SecurityUpdate121508HS.pdf Impacted Products and Versions: Helix Server Version 11.x Helix Server Version 12.x Helix Mobile Server Version 11.x Helix Mobile Server Version 12.x

Solution: Per: http://docs.real.com/docs/security/SecurityUpdate121508HS.pdf The Fix: Version 11.1.8 and Version 12.0.1 of the Helix Server and the Helix Mobile Server have been updated to ensure that the above vulnerabilities have been resolved. SOLUTION: The vulnerability is resolved on the following platforms by installing Version 11.1.8 or Version 12.0.1 of the Helix Server and the Helix Mobile Server. This only pertains to supported versions of the platforms listed below. The updated version will be available on your RealNetworks PAM site after 11:59 p.m. PST, on December 15, 2008.

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2008-5911

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
realnetworks helix_server 11.0 cpe:2.3:a:realnetworks:helix_server:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
realnetworks helix_server 12.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:realnetworks:helix_server:12.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
realnetworks helix_server_mobile 11.0 cpe:2.3:a:realnetworks:helix_server_mobile:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
realnetworks helix_server_mobile 12.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:realnetworks:helix_server_mobile:12.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2008-5911

cvelogic Threat Intelligence