CVE-1999-1005
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 · uneditedGroupwise web server GWWEB.EXE allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files with .htm extensions via a .. (dot dot) attack using the HELP parameter.
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 confidenceGroupwise web server GWWEB.EXE contains a path traversal vulnerability in the HELP parameter. Remote attackers can use '..' sequences to traverse directories and read arbitrary .htm files from the server filesystem.
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= 3.0.7a= 5.2= 5.5CVSS 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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Verify GWWEB.EXE is runningCheck running processes or services for GWWEB.EXE, or check if port 80/443 is listening for Groupwise web serverAffected if GWWEB.EXE process is active and serving HTTP requests
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Identify Netscape Enterprise Server versionCheck server version via HTTP headers, server status page, or installed software listings - look for version 3.0.7aAffected if Version equals 3.0.7a specifically
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Identify Novell Groupwise versionCheck Groupwise installation directory for version info, or query the web server about page - look for versions 5.2 or 5.5Affected if Version equals 5.2 or 5.5 specifically
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Confirm HELP parameter is accessibleSend HTTP request to GWWEB.EXE with HELP parameter (e.g., ?HELP=somefile.htm) and verify the server respondsAffected if HELP parameter accepts input and returns content
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Test for directory traversal capabilitySend request with .. sequences in HELP parameter (e.g., ?HELP=../../filename.htm) and observe if arbitrary files outside web root are accessibleAffected if Requests with .. sequences return files outside the web document root
User is affected if GWWEB.EXE is running on Netscape Enterprise Server 3.0.7a or Groupwise versions 5.2/5.5, and the HELP parameter permits directory traversal with .. sequences.
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 appropriate Groupwise patch or upgrade to a supported version. If patches are unavailable, disable GWWEB.EXE and implement input validation on the HELP parameter to block directory traversal sequences.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,064.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-1005 — 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-1999-1005 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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