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back to article Winamp plug-in backdoor wide open to viral penetration

Winamp media player users need to update their software following the discovery of multiple security holes, some of which provide a means to distribute malware via booby-trapped media files. Version 5.6 of the software for Windows fixes a critical integer overflow vulnerability in the the "in_nsv.dll" plug-in library that …

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  1. Tom 38

    Meh oldversion.com

    Winamp got crap after version 3, I still install Winamp 2.95 on my windows machines.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Badgers

      Snap

      Before I clicked on the comments link for this article, I thought to myself: "what's the bet the first comment is from someone desparate to tell the world how shit Winamp is these days?"

      Thanks at least for keeping it short.

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      1. heyrick Silver badge
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        Errr... version 5.56.

        I dunno if it is crappier or not. It seemed like the most user-friendly solution to playing MP3s off the NAS and Internet radio, and it works happily with StreamRipper (useful for those more obscure songs). The ID3 editor is quick and to-the-point. And I can keep the launcher icon on the systray so I can get it going in one click. I've not bothered updating, the current version works for me...

        Is WinAmp shit? I guess your value in something depends upon what you wish to use it for.

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    2. Roger 11
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      Thumb Up

      Heh

      *looks version*

      Mine is 2.81

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  2. James Hughes 1

    Fnarr

    "But plugged firmly in latest release"

    Tee hee.

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  3. Rostron
    Jobs Halo

    Outraged of Tunbridge Wells

    Backdoor penetration? But plugged?

    This site gets filthier by the day.

    I approve.

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  4. John Sanders
    Linux

    The only player on my computer is:

    The mighty VideoLAN.

    Since version 1.0.5 I refuse to use anything else.

    It keeps getting better and better, it is not bloated at all, available on nearly any platform, and best of all it plays everything. And as a bonus it is FOSS software, and doesn't come packed with any crapware nastiness.

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    1. Ammaross Danan
      Reply Icon
      Go

      Title

      WinAmp does have some nifty features that VLC doesn't package, or at least, not near as nicely. The biggest benefit (for me at least) is I can play music (mp3s, mp4, etc) and not have the giant memory/cpu footprint of Windows Media Player or (heaven forbid) iTunes. That and a WinAmp crash isn't likely to take the system with it, unlike the fore-mentioned programs.

      FOSS is nice, but "free" versions of pay-for software is also nice, as long as they're not significantly hobbled.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        To which the obvious response is...

        ...to take a look at Foobar2000. Yes, it may look like cr*p on first install but you can set it up any way you want it, it's lightweight and it plays everything. Plus there are plenty of plugins to extend it if you want to.

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        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Unhappy

          Re: To which the obvious response is...

          I like the idea of fb2k, especially the endless customisation options, and keep trying it out, but tbh it just annoys me that I can't get the hang of it. Me and fb2k simply fail to click. It makes me react like my dad used to when attempting to program the VCR back in 1988 - and that gives my geek ego serious butthurt - so I convince myself it's cretinous and dump it... until the next time I decide that the last time must surely have been some kind of aberration (how difficult can it be?) and I go back to it. Rinse/repeat. I'll get it some day. I hope.

          AC, obviously.

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      2. blackworx
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        Thumb Up

        Yep

        WinAmp's playlist/library features are miles easier to use than VLC's, whose playlist seems like an afterthought in comparison, certainly in the usability stakes. But then WinAmp's video support is pretty skanky at best thanks to its reliance on DirectShow. I've stopped even thinking about using anything other than VLC for video.

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    2. phastflyer
      Reply Icon
      Alert

      No crapware?

      No crapware?

      You must have had a different Winamp install package. The one I downloaded wanted to:

      - Install a Winamp Toolbar

      - Set my Search default to Winamp Search

      - Provide 50 free downloads from eMusic

      Guess we have a different definition of "crapware"

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    3. heyrick Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Mighty VideoLAN?

      Converting a YouTube FLV to an XviD/H.263 AVI shouldn't be a chore. But with the very latest version, I can't get anything other than AVIs with only audio tracks. No video, at all. I looked at the debug/trace stuff and it IDs (and plays) the FLV correctly, but then warns that it isn't a good idea to generate AVIs without a video stream.

      I didn't bother to continue. Why should I? Pass a few command-line options to ffmpeg.exe and the job is done, fairly rapidly too.

      Oh, and if you want lots of control, you might like to check out the "smplayer" front end to MPlayer - so those old .ogg files with unusual subs/audio will play once you've picked the dumuxer/codec combination that works best. And, usefully, there's an option to force passing of 8.3 filenames to MPlayer. Has no visual effect, but it now means stuff with kanji in the filename will play, which used to be pretty much the only reason I used VLC...

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  5. joejack
    Megaphone

    Screw you, hippies!

    I get it - AOL sucks, and they bloated up a perfectly good mp3 player. But they could've done a lot worse. It supports skins and plugins I still use from ~1995, and the video stuff and toolbars you can leave out at install time. I use an old wireless joystick or droid for a remote. With a few clicks, you can sync the current playlist to any mp3 player or a CD (droid, sansa clip, ipod...) And it stays out of the way. Good hotkey support, so you don't need it open or visible to control it.

    I'll keep using it until something better comes along.

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