CVE-2004-0474 Path traversal in n/a

Medium 5.1 Published Updated

Remote attackers could potentially read or execute arbitrary files via crafted hcp:// URLs in Windows Help Center, though reproducibility is disputed.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Not needed
Attackable
Over the internet
Victim action needed
A user has to click or open something
Fix
None listed

What is CVE-2004-0474?

CVE-2004-0474 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Xp, published on 20 May 2004. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

Help Center (HelpCtr.exe) may allow remote attackers to read or execute arbitrary files via an "http://" or "file://" argument to the topic parameter in an hcp:// URL. NOTE: since the initial report of this problem, several researchers have been unable to reproduce this issue.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-0474?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Microsoft Windows Xp.

How do I fix CVE-2004-0474?

No fix has been published for CVE-2004-0474 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2004-0474 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2004-0474 exists.

Public exploit code: 1 Exploit-DB entry.

All Microsoft Windows Xp vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-7mwf-cmrh-q8j4.

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