CVE-1999-0288
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe WINS server in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 before SP4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (process termination) via invalid UDP frames to port 137 (NETBIOS Name Service), as demonstrated via a flood of random packets.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) server in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 before Service Pack 4 contains a vulnerability where invalid UDP frames sent to port 137 (NETBIOS Name Service) can cause the WINS service process to terminate, resulting in denial of service. The vulnerability is triggered by sending crafted or random UDP packets to the NETBIOS Name Service port.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 4.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Windows versionRun winmsd or check System Properties to confirm the operating system is Windows NT 4.0Affected if The system is running Windows NT 4.0 (versions before Service Pack 4 are vulnerable)
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Verify WINS service statusOpen Services control panel or run net start to check if the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) is runningAffected if WINS service is running and listening on UDP port 137
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Confirm UDP port 137 is listeningRun netstat -an or use a port scanner to check if UDP port 137 is open on the systemAffected if UDP port 137 is open and exposed to network traffic
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Check installed Service Pack levelRun winmsd or check System Properties to see the installed Service Pack numberAffected if Service Pack 3 or earlier is installed (Service Pack 4 contains the fix)
A system is affected if it runs Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or earlier AND has the WINS service running with UDP port 137 exposed to network traffic
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. As an alternative mitigation, block UDP port 137 at network perimeter firewalls to prevent external attackers from reaching the WINS server.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0288 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-1999-0288 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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