CVE-1999-0897
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 · uneditediChat ROOMS Webserver allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) attack.
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 confidenceiChat ROOMS Webserver contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files on the server by using '..' (dot-dot) sequences in HTTP requests, exploiting insufficient input validation in the web server's file handling logic.
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= 3.0CVSS 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 if Apple iChat Server is installedSearch for iChat Server installation directories or check for processes named 'iChat' or 'ichat' on the system. On Mac OS 9 or earlier systems, check Applications folder or system preferences for iChat Server components.Affected if Apple iChat Server version 3.0 is installed on the system
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Verify the installed iChat Server versionLocate the iChat Server application bundle or executable and check its version information. On Mac systems from that era, right-click the application and select 'Get Info' or use the command line to query version metadata.Affected if The version reports as exactly 3.0 (the affected version)
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Confirm the iChat ROOMS Webserver component is enabledCheck if the ROOMS web server component is running or configured to run. Look for web server processes on common ports (typically port 80 or 8080) or check iChat Server configuration for web server settings.Affected if The iChat ROOMS Webserver service is actively running or enabled
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Assess network exposure of the webserverCheck network listeners to determine if the iChat ROOMS Webserver port is accessible from network interfaces. Use commands like 'netstat' or 'lsof' to identify listening ports and their binding addresses.Affected if The iChat ROOMS Webserver is bound to a network interface accessible to untrusted users or the internet
The system is affected if Apple iChat Server version 3.0 with the iChat ROOMS Webserver component is installed, enabled, and exposed on the network.
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 dataUpgrade or patch iChat ROOMS Webserver to a version that addresses this vulnerability; if the software is obsolete and unmaintained, replace it with a current web server solution that implements proper input validation and sandboxing to prevent directory traversal attacks.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0897 — 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-1999-0897 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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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