dbcve.org
JetApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2000-0323

HIGH · 7.6 CVSS v2.0 Published 1999-07-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
85/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The Microsoft Jet database engine allows an attacker to modify text files via a database query, aka the "Text I-ISAM" vulnerability.

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

The Microsoft Jet database engine contains a vulnerability in its Text I-ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) driver that allows remote attackers to modify arbitrary text files on the target system by issuing specially crafted database queries. The Text I-ISAM functionality, designed to query text files as if they were database tables, does not properly validate file paths, enabling path traversal and file write operations outside intended directories.

MitigationApply the MS00-049 patch from Microsoft or upgrade to a patched version of Microsoft Jet. If the patch is unavailable for legacy systems, consider restricting or disabling the Text I-ISAM functionality and limiting network exposure of affected systems.

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
JetApplication
Affected:= 3.5= 3.51= 4.0

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
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Identify installed Microsoft Jet database engine version
    Locate the Jet DLL file on the system. Common paths include C:\Windows\System32\msjet35.dll, C:\Windows\System32\msjet40.dll, or C:\Windows\System32\msjet42.dll. Right-click the DLL file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to confirm the exact product version.
    Affected if The installed version is 3.5, 3.51, or 4.0 exactly as listed in the affected versions.
  2. Query Jet version via registry
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet. Check for subkeys such as 3.5, 3.51, or 4.0 which indicate installed Jet versions. Also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Jet on 64-bit systems.
    Affected if Registry keys for Jet version 3.5, 3.51, or 4.0 exist on the system.
  3. Check for Text I-ISAM driver registration
    Open ODBC Data Source Administrator (odbcad32.exe), go to the Drivers tab, and look for entries containing 'Text' or 'Microsoft Text Driver'. Alternatively, check the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBCINST.INI\Microsoft Text Driver to see if the Text I-ISAM driver is registered.
    Affected if The Text I-ISAM (Microsoft Text) driver is listed among installed ODBC drivers.
  4. Verify applications using Text I-ISAM functionality
    Search for application files that connect to text files using Jet DAO or ODBC with a text driver. Look for connection strings containing 'Driver={Microsoft Text Driver}' or 'DBQ=' pointing to text file directories. Check IIS web applications and legacy ASP files that may query text files as databases.
    Affected if Applications or scripts that use Jet to query text files as database tables are present on the system.
  5. Review file and directory permissions on text data locations
    Identify directories where text files (CSV, TXT, tab-delimited) are stored that could be accessed via Text I-ISAM. Check NTFS permissions to determine if the IIS anonymous account or database service account has write permissions to directories outside intended text data folders.
    Affected if Write permissions exist for accounts that would process database queries against text file directories.

A system is affected if Microsoft Jet version 3.5, 3.51, or 4.0 is installed AND the Text I-ISAM driver is available, enabling specially crafted queries to write files outside intended directories.

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 the MS00-049 patch from Microsoft or upgrade to a patched version of Microsoft Jet. If the patch is unavailable for legacy systems, consider restricting or disabling the Text I-ISAM functionality and limiting network exposure of affected systems.

Fix this in Jet Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2000-0323 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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