CVE-1999-0489
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 · uneditedMSHTML.DLL in Internet Explorer 5.0 allows a remote attacker to paste a file name into the file upload intrinsic control, a variant of "untrusted scripted paste" as described in MS:MS98-013.
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 confidenceMSHTML.DLL in Internet Explorer 5.0 contains a vulnerability allowing remote attackers to manipulate the file upload intrinsic control by pasting a file name into it. This is a variant of the untrusted scripted paste issue documented in MS:MS98-013, enabling potential file disclosure or upload manipulation.
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
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
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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Verify Windows NT 4.0 is runningOpen command prompt and run 'winver' or check System Properties to confirm the OS version is Windows NT 4.0Affected if The system is running any version other than Windows NT 4.0, as this vulnerability only affects NT 4.0 systems
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Confirm Internet Explorer 5.0 is installedCheck the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer for the Version value, or run 'iexplore -version' if availableAffected if IE version is not 5.0 or the browser is not installed at all
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Locate and identify MSHTML.DLL versionFind MSHTML.DLL in the system (typically in C:\Windows\System or C:\Winnt\System32) and check its version by right-clicking the file and selecting Properties, or use 'dir mshtml.dll' from the System32 folderAffected if The DLL version corresponds to IE 5.0 build (typically version 5.00.xxxx) and the file timestamp dates to 1999
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Check if file upload controls are accessible to web contentVerify whether IE 5.0 is configured to allow scripts to access file upload inputs. This was the vulnerable condition - scripts could manipulate the <input type=file> element through clipboard operationsAffected if IE 5.0 is actively used and scripts can access/modify file upload form controls, which is the core vulnerability condition
A system is affected only if it runs Windows NT 4.0 with Internet Explorer 5.0 installed and actively used, where the MSHTML.DLL version matches the 1999 IE 5.0 release vulnerable to scripted file upload manipulation.
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 dataThis vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 5.0 from 1999, which is obsolete and unsupported. Organizations should ensure no legacy systems running IE 5.0 remain in production, as modern browsers do not have this specific issue.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0489 — 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-1999-0489 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data