CommunicatorApplication · Netscape

CVE-2000-0034

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 1999-12-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Netscape 4.7 records user passwords in the preferences.js file during an IMAP or POP session, even if the user has not enabled "remember passwords."

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 confidence

Netscape Communicator 4.7 stores user IMAP and POP3 passwords in plaintext within the preferences.js file located in the user's profile directory, even when the 'remember passwords' feature is explicitly disabled. This creates a local information disclosure vulnerability where any user or process with filesystem access to the profile can retrieve stored credentials.

MitigationDiscontinue use of Netscape 4.7 and migrate to modern mail clients; if legacy systems must operate, restrict filesystem access to profile directories and audit for exposed credential 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
CommunicatorApplication
Affected:= 4.7

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Netscape Communicator 4.7 is installed
    Check the program files directory for Netscape\Communicator folder or check registry for Netscape installation entries. Look for netscape.exe version 4.7 or check Add/Remove Programs for Netscape Communicator 4.7.
    Affected if Netscape Communicator version 4.7 is found on the system
  2. Locate the user profile directory
    Navigate to the typical profile location: on Windows this is typically C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Application Data\Netscape\Users\username or C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Netscape\Users\username
    Affected if A Netscape profile directory exists for the user
  3. Find and inspect the preferences.js file
    Open the preferences.js file located in the profile directory using a text editor or command: type "preferences.js" or cat preferences.js
    Affected if The preferences.js file exists in the profile directory
  4. Search for plaintext IMAP or POP3 password strings
    Search within preferences.js for patterns like "IMAPPassword" or "POP3Password" followed by readable text strings. Use findstr /C:"IMAPPassword" /C:"POP3Password" preferences.js
    Affected if Plaintext strings resembling IMAP or POP3 passwords are present in the file, even with 'remember passwords' disabled

If Netscape Communicator 4.7 is installed and its preferences.js file in the user profile contains plaintext IMAP or POP3 password entries, the system is affected by CVE-2000-0034.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Discontinue use of Netscape 4.7 and migrate to modern mail clients; if legacy systems must operate, restrict filesystem access to profile directories and audit for exposed credential files.

Fix this in Communicator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2000-0034 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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