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ImpApplication

CVE-2000-0459

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2000-04-22
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
IMP does not remove files properly if the MSWordView application quits, which allows local users to cause a denial of service by filling up the disk space by requesting a large number of documents and prematurely stopping the request.

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

IMP (Internet Messaging Program) fails to properly clean up temporary files when the MSWordView application terminates unexpectedly. When users request documents processed by MSWordView and prematurely stop the request, the resulting temporary files are left on disk. By repeatedly requesting documents and canceling, local users can accumulate orphaned files until disk space is exhausted, causing denial of service.

MitigationFix the file cleanup handler in IMP to properly remove temporary files when MSWordView exits or the request is terminated. Consider adding a cron-based cleanup job for orphaned temporary files as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
ImpApplication
Affected:= 2.0.9= 2.0.10= 2.0.11= 2.2_pre9= 2.2_pre10= 2.2_pre11= 2.2_pre12

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

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 IMP version
    Check the IMP version by examining the software's version file, about page, or running 'imp -v' or 'impadmin --version' depending on installation method. Compare against affected versions: 2.0.9, 2.0.10, 2.0.11, 2.2_pre9, 2.2_pre10, 2.2_pre11, 2.2_pre12
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions listed
  2. Confirm MSWordView is enabled
    Check IMP configuration files (typically imp.conf or similar) for MSWordView or MS Word viewer plugin/enabled setting. Look for entries related to MSWordView or document conversion features.
    Affected if MSWordView is enabled in the IMP configuration
  3. Locate IMP temporary file directory
    Check IMP configuration for temp file paths, commonly /tmp, /var/tmp, or a dedicated IMP temp directory. Look for parameters like 'tmpdir' or 'temp_path' in configuration files.
    Affected if A temporary directory is configured for IMP/MSWordView processing
  4. Search for orphaned temporary files
    List files in the IMP temporary directory and look for patterns resembling MSWordView temporary files (often named with document identifiers or temp prefixes). Use 'ls -la <tempdir>' and look for unusually old files or files with naming patterns from document conversions.
    Affected if Orphaned temporary files from MSWordView document processing exist in the temp directory
  5. Check for disk space exhaustion patterns
    Run 'df -h' to check disk space usage, particularly on partitions hosting IMP temp directories. Look for partitions showing high usage or unusual file accumulation in IMP temp locations.
    Affected if Disk space is abnormally consumed by orphaned IMP temporary files

You are affected if IMP version 2.0.9 through 2.2_pre12 is installed with MSWordView enabled, and orphaned temporary files exist in the configured temp directory.

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

Fix the file cleanup handler in IMP to properly remove temporary files when MSWordView exits or the request is terminated. Consider adding a cron-based cleanup job for orphaned temporary files as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Imp 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-2000-0459 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
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