# CVE-2005-0545: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Local users can bypass group policy restrictions on hidden drives in Windows XP and 2000 by using Office applications or flash drives.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Feb 2005
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gvvg-f28q-44wc

## What is CVE-2005-0545?

CVE-2005-0545 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000, published on 25 Feb 2005. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2 and Windows 2000 Server SP4 running Active Directory allow local users to bypass group policies that restrict access to hidden drives by using the browse feature in Office 10 applications such as Word or Excel, or using a flash drive.  NOTE: this issue has been disputed in a followup post.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2005-0545?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Xp.

## How do I fix CVE-2005-0545?

No fix has been published for CVE-2005-0545 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2005-0545 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2005-0545 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 2000

- [CVE-2008-4250](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4250/): Microsoft Windows Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2010-0232](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0232/): Microsoft Windows Kernel Exception Handler (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2009-1123](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-1123/): Microsoft Windows Improper Input Validation (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2002-0367](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0367/): Microsoft Windows Privilege Escalation (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2010-0269](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0269/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2005-0545 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2005-0545 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000, published on 25 Feb 2005. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2005-0545 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows 2000. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-0545/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-0545/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2005-0545
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-0545
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2005-0545

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-0545/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.