CVE-2020-36949: Tapinradio Denial of Service Vulnerability

CVE-2020-36949 Overview

CVE-2020-36949 is a denial of service vulnerability in TapinRadio version 2.13.7, an internet radio client developed by Raimersoft. The flaw resides in the application's proxy settings dialog, where the username and address input fields fail to enforce length limits. An attacker with local access can paste a buffer of approximately 20,000 characters into these fields, causing the application to become unresponsive. Recovery requires reinstalling the program, since the malformed configuration persists across restarts. The issue is tracked under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.

Critical Impact
Local attackers can render TapinRadio 2.13.7 permanently unusable by submitting oversized input to proxy configuration fields, requiring full reinstallation to restore functionality.

Affected Products

Raimersoft TapinRadio 2.13.7
CPE: cpe:2.3:a:raimersoft:tapinradio:2.13.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Component: raimersoft:tapinradio

Discovery Timeline

2026-01-27 - CVE-2020-36949 published to NVD
2026-02-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-36949

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing input validation in TapinRadio's proxy configuration interface. The username and address fields accept arbitrarily large strings without enforcing maximum length constraints. When a user pastes a buffer of roughly 20,000 characters into either field, the application fails to handle the oversized input gracefully.

The resulting condition makes TapinRadio unresponsive. Because the malformed values are written to the persistent configuration store, restarting the application does not recover the previous working state. Users must reinstall the software to restore normal operation.

Exploitation requires local access and user interaction with the proxy settings dialog. The flaw affects availability only — confidentiality and integrity are not impacted. No public exploit code or proof-of-concept has been confirmed beyond the original advisory.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper resource allocation in the proxy settings form ([CWE-770]). The application does not bound the length of accepted input before processing or persisting it. This omission allows a single oversized paste operation to exhaust resources or corrupt the configuration in a way that prevents normal startup.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local with required user interaction. An attacker — or a malicious script executed in the user's session — must place a large string on the clipboard and paste it into the affected proxy fields. Remote exploitation over the network is not possible. The vulnerability is primarily relevant in shared workstation or kiosk scenarios where untrusted users can interact with the TapinRadio UI.

The vulnerability mechanism is described in the Exploit-DB entry #49206 and the VulnCheck Advisory. No verified exploit code is reproduced here.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-36949

Indicators of Compromise

TapinRadio process (tapinradio.exe) becomes unresponsive shortly after a user opens or modifies the proxy settings dialog.
TapinRadio configuration files contain unusually large string values in proxy username or address keys.
Repeated application crashes or hangs on startup following a configuration change.

Detection Strategies

Monitor TapinRadio configuration files for entries exceeding reasonable length thresholds (for example, more than 1,024 characters in proxy-related fields).
Audit endpoint process telemetry for tapinradio.exe hangs, crashes, or repeated restart cycles.
Track installation and reinstallation events for the TapinRadio package on managed endpoints.

Monitoring Recommendations

Collect application crash dumps and Windows Application Event Log entries related to TapinRadio.
Alert on clipboard paste operations followed immediately by application unresponsiveness on shared or kiosk systems.
Inventory installed versions of TapinRadio across the environment and flag instances of 2.13.7.

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-36949

Immediate Actions Required

Identify endpoints running TapinRadio 2.13.7 and restrict interactive access to trusted users only.
Remove TapinRadio from shared workstations, kiosks, and multi-user terminals where untrusted input is possible.
Replace TapinRadio with a maintained alternative if no vendor patch is available for your deployed version.

Patch Information

No vendor advisory or patch URL is listed in the NVD record for CVE-2020-36949. Check the Raimersoft Homepage for newer releases beyond 2.13.7 and validate that the proxy configuration fields enforce input length limits before redeploying.

Workarounds

Avoid entering or pasting untrusted content into TapinRadio proxy username and address fields.
Use Windows access controls or AppLocker policies to prevent non-administrative users from launching TapinRadio.
If proxy configuration is required, configure it through a trusted administrative workflow and back up the working configuration file beforehand.
Uninstall TapinRadio 2.13.7 on systems where DoS resilience is required and replace it with a supported version.

bash

# Example AppLocker rule concept to restrict TapinRadio execution to administrators
# (adapt path and group SID to your environment)
New-AppLockerPolicy -RuleType Path -User "Everyone" -Action Deny `
  -FilePath "C:\Program Files (x86)\TapinRadio\tapinradio.exe"