Backoffice Resource KitApplication · Microsoft

CVE-1999-0379

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 1999-02-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Microsoft Taskpads allows remote web sites to execute commands on the visiting user's machine via certain methods that are marked as Safe for Scripting.

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 · low confidence

Microsoft Taskpads, a Windows 95/98/NT feature providing task-based navigation, exposed methods marked as 'Safe for Scripting' that allowed remote websites to execute arbitrary commands on a visiting user's machine through the browser context.

MitigationThis is a 1999-era vulnerability in legacy Windows versions. Modern systems are not affected. If legacy systems remain in use, disable ActiveX scripting and restrict browser internet zones.

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
Backoffice Resource KitApplication
Affected:= 2.0

CVSS 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
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Backoffice Resource Kit 2.0 installation
    Check the system for Microsoft Backoffice Resource Kit version 2.0 by examining Add/Remove Programs or searching for 'BackOffice' in Program Files directories
    Affected if Microsoft Backoffice Resource Kit version 2.0 is installed on the system
  2. Confirm legacy Windows environment
    Identify the Windows version by running 'winver' or checking system properties - this vulnerability affects Windows 95, 98, and NT
    Affected if The system is running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0
  3. Check for Taskpads component
    Look for Taskpad-related files or components, typically found in the Windows system directory or installed with the Backoffice Resource Kit
    Affected if Microsoft Taskpads component is present and accessible through the browser

A system is affected only if Microsoft Backoffice Resource Kit 2.0 is installed on a legacy Windows 95/98/NT machine with browser scripting enabled, as this is a 1999-era vulnerability that does not impact modern systems.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

This is a 1999-era vulnerability in legacy Windows versions. Modern systems are not affected. If legacy systems remain in use, disable ActiveX scripting and restrict browser internet zones.

Fix this in Backoffice Resource Kit Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
2.0 hours of engineering $750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-1999-0379 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data