CVE-2000-0149
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 · uneditedZeus web server allows remote attackers to view the source code for CGI programs via a null character (%00) at the end of a URL.
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 confidenceThe Zeus web server fails to properly sanitize URL requests containing null characters (%00). When an attacker appends a null byte to a CGI script request, the server returns the unexecuted source code instead of executing the script, resulting in information disclosure.
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= 3.1.1= 3.1.2= 3.1.3= 3.1.4= 3.1.5= 3.1.6= 3.1.7= 3.1.8= 3.1.9= 3.3= 3.3.1= 3.3.2CVSS 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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Confirm Zeus Web Server is runningIdentify if the Zeus web server process is active on the system. Check running processes or listening ports (typically port 80). On Unix systems, use 'ps aux | grep zeus' or check for processes named 'zeus' or 'httpd'. On Windows, check the service list.Affected if The system is running any version of Zeus Web Server.
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Identify the installed Zeus versionRetrieve the version of the Zeus Web Server installation. This may be available via server headers, the admin interface, or installation documentation. Compare the version number against the affected list: 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.5, 3.1.6, 3.1.7, 3.1.8, 3.1.9, 3.3, 3.3.1, 3.3.2.Affected if The installed version matches any of the versions listed in the affected products.
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Verify CGI script handling is enabledCheck the Zeus server configuration to determine if CGI script execution is enabled. Look for CGI-related settings in the server configuration files or admin interface, such as script alias directives or CGI handler mappings.Affected if CGI support is enabled and scripts are configured to be executed by the server.
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Test for null byte source disclosureSend a crafted HTTP request to the server targeting an existing CGI script (such as a .pl, .cgi, or other CGI file) and appending a null character (%00) to the URL. For example: GET /script.cgi%00 HTTP/1.1. Observe whether the server returns the unexecuted source code of the script instead of executing it.Affected if The server returns the raw source code of the CGI script in the response instead of executing it or returning a 404 error.
A user is affected if Zeus Web Server is running a version between 3.1.1 and 3.3.2 inclusive, CGI scripts are enabled, and sending a request with a null byte to a CGI script returns the source code instead of executing it.
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 to a patched version of Zeus web server if available, or migrate to a supported web server. Implement input validation at a WAF or proxy level to reject requests containing null bytes in URI paths.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2000-0149 — 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-2000-0149 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
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