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VLC: Vulnerability Not Found

posted by martyb on Thursday July 25 2019, @05:52PM   
from the pics-or-it-didn't-happen dept.

takyon writes:

Alleged critical VLC flaw is nothing to worry about -- and is nothing to do with VLC

There has been a degree of confusion over the last few days after news spread of a supposed vulnerability in the media player VLC. Despite being labelled by security experts as "critical", VLC's developers, VideoLAN, denied there was a problem at all.

And they were right. While there is a vulnerability, it was in a third-party library, not VLC itself. On top of this, it is nowhere near as severe as first suggested. Oh -- and it was fixed over a year ago. An older version of Ubuntu Linux was to blame for the confusion.

The problem actually exists in a third-party library called libebml, and the issue was addressed some time ago. The upshot is that if you have updated VLC within the last year, there is no risk whatsoever. VLC's developers are understandably upset at the suggestion that their software was insecure.

Also at Tom's Hardware, Boing Boing, and The Register.

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Original Submission

• Re:3rd party library, static vs dynamic linking Re:3rd party library, static vs dynamic linking (Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday July 25 2019, @07:49PM (1 child)

  by DannyB (5839) on Thursday July 25 2019, @07:49PM (#871228) Journal

  I agree and understand that. Still there are motivations sometimes. Waaaaaah! (sniff) Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! I want the latest GIMP on my pixelbook but the new debian won't be out for another three weeks!

  --
  To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.

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• Re:3rd party library, static vs dynamic linking (Score: 2) by coolgopher on Friday July 26 2019, @05:50AM

  by coolgopher (1157) on Friday July 26 2019, @05:50AM (#871342)

  Use the source, Luke...erm, Danny.

  Parent