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Big BrotherApplication · Sean Macguire

CVE-2000-0638

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2000-07-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
bb-hostsvc.sh in Big Brother 1.4h1 and earlier allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) attack on the HOSTSVC parameter.

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

The bb-hostsvc.sh script in Big Brother monitoring software versions 1.4h1 and earlier contains a path traversal vulnerability. The HOSTSVC parameter is not properly validated, allowing remote attackers to use '..' directory traversal sequences to access arbitrary files on the system with the privileges of the web server user.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Big Brother that properly sanitizes the HOSTSVC parameter, rejecting any path traversal sequences. If no upgrade is available, implement input validation in bb-hostsvc.sh to reject parameters containing '..' or absolute paths.

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
Big BrotherApplication
Affected:= 1.0= 1.1= 1.2= 1.3= 1.3b= 1.4= 1.4g= 1.4h= 1.4h1= 1.09b= 1.09c= 1.09d

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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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. Locate Big Brother installation
    Search for the bb-hostsvc.sh script on the system. Common paths include /var/www/cgi-bin/bb-hostsvc.sh, /usr/lib/cgi-bin/bb-hostsvc.sh, or within the Big Brother home directory (often /opt/bb or /home/bb). Use command: find / -name 'bb-hostsvc.sh' 2>/dev/null
    Affected if The script is found on the system, indicating Big Brother is installed.
  2. Identify Big Brother version
    Check the version of the installed Big Brother. Look for a version file in the Big Brother directory, or grep for version strings in bb-hostsvc.sh or other Big Brother scripts. Common locations: /var/www/bb/bbdef.sh, /opt/bb/etc/bbdef, or within the installation root.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.3b, 1.4, 1.4g, 1.4h, 1.4h1, 1.09b, 1.09c, or 1.09d.
  3. Verify bb-hostsvc.sh is web-exposed
    Determine if bb-hostsvc.sh is accessible via the web server. Check web server configuration files (e.g., Apache httpd.conf, nginx.conf) for CGI script aliases pointing to bb-hostsvc.sh, or test if the URL is reachable (e.g., http://yourserver/cgi-bin/bb-hostsvc.sh)
    Affected if The script is configured as a web CGI and reachable via HTTP/HTTPS.
  4. Inspect HOSTSVC parameter validation
    Examine the bb-hostsvc.sh script source code. Search for how the HOSTSVC parameter is handled: look for input validation, sanitization, or filtering of path traversal sequences. Use: grep -n 'HOSTSVC' /path/to/bb-hostsvc.sh
    Affected if The script does not validate or reject '..' directory traversal sequences in the HOSTSVC parameter before using it in file operations.

The system is affected if Big Brother version 1.4h1 or earlier is installed, the bb-hostsvc.sh script is web-accessible, and the script lacks proper validation of the HOSTSVC parameter to block path traversal sequences.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Big Brother that properly sanitizes the HOSTSVC parameter, rejecting any path traversal sequences. If no upgrade is available, implement input validation in bb-hostsvc.sh to reject parameters containing '..' or absolute paths.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Big Brother 1.4i or later

  1. 1. Identify all systems running Big Brother versions 1.0, 1.2, 1.3, or 1.4h1.
  2. 2. Obtain Big Brother version 1.4i or later from the official Big Brother website or distribution archives.
  3. 3. Review the Big Brother release notes for version 1.4i to confirm the path traversal vulnerability is addressed.
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade.
  5. 5. Back up the existing Big Brother configuration and data directories (/etc/bb or /usr/local/bb, depending on installation).
  6. 6. Install the new version 1.4i or later using standard installation procedures.
  7. 7. Restore the backed-up configuration files to the new installation.
  8. 8. Verify the bb-hostsvc.sh script is properly updated and no longer contains the vulnerable path traversal code.
Caveat Upgrading from very old Big Brother versions may require configuration migration and testing of custom extensions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Big Brother Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2000-0638 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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