Malicious actors could hijack millions of systems using specially crafted subtitle files that exploit vulnerabilities in some of the most popular media players, security firm Check Point warned on Tuesday.
According to experts, attackers can take complete control of a device simply by getting the targeted user to open a malicious subtitle file in one of the vulnerable media players. In the case of applications that automatically obtain subtitles from the Internet, it may be possible to conduct attacks without any user interaction.
Check Point’s analysis has focused on four popular media players, but researchers believe other applications are likely affected as well. The players confirmed to be vulnerable are VLC, the open-source home theater software Kodi (formerly known as XBMC), the video streaming app Stremio, and Popcorn Time, which streams movies and TV shows directly from torrents.
Experts pointed out that the potential number of victims for these subtitle attacks is very high considering that the latest version of VLC has been downloaded 170 million times, and Kodi reportedly has nearly 40 million unique users each month.
The developers of these media players have released patches, but some issues are still under investigation and Check Point has decided not to make public any technical details.
According to the security firm, hackers can use specially crafted subtitle files to execute arbitrary code, which can allow them to take complete control of the system.
“The attacker can do whatever he wants with the victim’s machine, whether it is a PC, a smart TV, or a mobile device,” Check Point’s research team said in a blog post. “The potential damage the attacker can inflict is endless, ranging anywhere from stealing sensitive information, installing ransomware, mass Denial of Service attacks, and much more.”
A video published by Check Point shows how the attack works:
While in some cases the targeted user needs to be convinced to open the malicious file with an affected player, researchers warned that attackers could also manipulate the ranking algorithm of subtitle websites to ensure that applications designed to automatically load subtitles would pick their file. By ensuring that their subtitle has a high ranking, attackers also increase the chances of users manually loading the malicious files.
