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Index ServerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2000-0302

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2000-03-31
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
High EPSS 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
Microsoft Index Server allows remote attackers to view the source code of ASP files by appending a %20 to the filename in the CiWebHitsFile argument to the null.htw 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 confidence

Microsoft Index Server contains a vulnerability in its web hits functionality (null.htw) where remote attackers can view the source code of ASP files instead of their executed output. By appending a space (%20) to the filename in the CiWebHitsFile parameter, the server returns the raw source code rather than processing the ASP file.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for Index Server, or disable/remove the .htw web hits functionality if not required, and ensure Index Server is not exposed to untrusted networks.

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
Index ServerApplication
Affected:= 2.0

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 Index Server 2.0 is installed
    Check for the presence of Index Server on the system. In Windows, this is typically found as part of IIS. Check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Index Server\2.0 or look for Index Server components in the system via 'Add/Remove Programs' or by querying the installed version using systeminfo or the IIS metabase.
    Affected if Index Server version 2.0 is installed and the web hits feature (.htw) is present.
  2. Confirm .htw web hits functionality is enabled
    Check if the .htw extension mapping is configured in IIS. This can be done by examining the IIS metabase (via IIS Metabase Explorer or adsutil.vbs) or by checking for the presence of null.htw files in the web root or system directories.
    Affected if The .htw extension is mapped and accessible through IIS.
  3. Check if IIS is serving Index Server content
    Verify that IIS is running and that Index Server virtual directories or the .htw handler are accessible. Use the command 'cscript //nologo adsutil.vbs get W3SVC/1/Root/htiMap' to check for .htw script mappings, or inspect the IIS manager for script map entries containing .htw.
    Affected if IIS is running and the .htw script mapping is registered.
  4. Test for the vulnerability with a probe request
    Send an HTTP request to the server targeting the .htw handler with the vulnerable parameter pattern. For example: GET /null.htw?CiWebHitsFile=../../../../../../../../boot.ini%20&CiRestriction=none&CiHiliteType=full HTTP/1.1 or /iisstart.asp%20 with the CiWebHitsFile parameter. Compare the response to a normal request without the space.
    Affected if The response returns raw source code (including ASP script delimiters like <% and %>) instead of executed output when a space (%20) is appended to the filename parameter.

A system is affected if it runs Microsoft Index Server 2.0 with the .htw web hits functionality enabled and accessible via IIS, where requests with a space appended to the CiWebHitsFile parameter return unexecuted source code.

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

Apply Microsoft security patches for Index Server, or disable/remove the .htw web hits functionality if not required, and ensure Index Server is not exposed to untrusted networks.

Fix this in Index Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2000-0302 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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