CVE-1999-0737
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 viewcode.asp sample file in IIS and Site Server allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files.
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 viewcode.asp sample file in Microsoft IIS and Site Server contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files from the web server's filesystem by manipulating input parameters to reveal sensitive system files.
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
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 IIS versionCheck the installed version of Microsoft Internet Information Server on the system. In IIS 4.0, this can typically be found in the IIS snap-in under the server properties, or by running 'iisreset /status' or checking the Windows registry key HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W3SVC\Parameters\MajorVersionAffected if The installed version is Microsoft IIS 4.0
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Locate viewcode.asp sample fileSearch the web server filesystem for the viewcode.asp file. Default locations in IIS 4.0 sample scripts include \iissamples\issamples\ or \samples\ subdirectories under the web root (typically \inetpub\iissamples\)Affected if The viewcode.asp file exists in any directory on the server, particularly in IIS sample directories
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Verify web-accessible pathAttempt to access the viewcode.asp file via HTTP using a browser or curl: http://<server>/iissamples/issamples/viewcode.asp or similar paths under the web rootAffected if The viewcode.asp file is accessible over HTTP and responds without a 404 error
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Check for path traversal exposureTest the vulnerability by sending a crafted request with path traversal sequences, such as requesting /iissamples/issamples/viewcode.asp?source=/../../../../../winnt/win.ini or similar parameter manipulation to read system filesAffected if The server returns file contents (such as win.ini) when path traversal sequences are appended to the viewcode.asp request parameters
The environment is affected if running IIS 4.0 with the viewcode.asp sample file present and accessible via the web, as the vulnerability allows authenticated or anonymous web users to read arbitrary files by manipulating input parameters.
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 dataRemove or disable the viewcode.asp sample file and any other default sample files from production IIS installations, and ensure the web server process runs with minimal necessary file system permissions.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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 locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0737 — 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-1999-0737 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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