CVE-1999-0777
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 · uneditedIIS FTP servers may allow a remote attacker to read or delete files on the server, even if they have "No Access" permissions.
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 · moderate confidenceIIS FTP servers from this era contained a permission bypass vulnerability where the FTP service failed to properly enforce 'No Access' file permissions. A remote attacker could use standard FTP commands to read or delete files on the server, bypassing the access control restrictions configured for user accounts.
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= 2.5= 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify IIS version installedCheck the IIS version by examining the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InetStp or using the iisver.vbs script from the Windows Resource KitAffected if Version equals 4.0 (IIS 4.0)
-
Confirm FTP service is enabledCheck if the FTP service is installed and running via IIS Management Console (inetmgr) or via command line: sc query msftpsvcAffected if FTP service is installed and running on IIS 4.0
-
Check FTP site configurationOpen IIS Management Console, navigate to FTP sites, and examine the FTP site properties and home directory settingsAffected if An FTP site is configured and running on the affected IIS version
-
Review FTP user account permissionsExamine NTFS file permissions on the FTP root directory and subdirectories using Windows Explorer Security tab or icacls command, specifically looking for accounts with No Access permissionsAffected if FTP users are configured with No Access permissions that could be bypassed according to this vulnerability
The environment is affected only if running IIS version 4.0 with the FTP service enabled, where FTP user accounts have been configured with No Access permissions that should restrict file read/delete operations.
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 the relevant Microsoft security patch for this IIS vulnerability (MS99-038) or, for legacy systems, upgrade to a supported IIS version and ensure FTP user permissions are correctly configured according to current security best practices.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0777 — 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-1999-0777 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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