HTTP ServerWeb server / proxy · Apache
CVE-2001-0729
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 · uneditedApache 1.3.20 on Windows servers allows remote attackers to bypass the default index page and list directory contents via a URL with a large number of / (slash) characters.
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 confidenceApache 1.3.20 running on Windows servers contains a vulnerability where a remote attacker can bypass the default index page configuration and force directory listing by requesting URLs containing a large number of forward slash characters (/). This path normalization issue on Windows allows disclosure of directory contents that should be protected by index files.
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
HTTP ServerWeb server / proxy
= 1.3.20CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Apache versionRun `apache -v` or examine the Server header from HTTP responses, or check the httpd.conf file for the version declarationAffected if Version is 1.3.20 exactly
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Verify operating systemCheck if the server is running Windows (check system info, hostname, or OS detection methods appropriate to your environment)Affected if The affected Apache 1.3.20 is running on Windows
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Check for vulnerable directory configurationsReview Apache config files (httpd.conf) for Directory directives. Look for locations without explicit DirectoryIndex or Options -Indexes settingsAffected if Directory sections lack explicit DirectoryIndex directives or Options -Indexes restrictions
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Test for directory listing bypassSend an HTTP GET request to a protected directory appending multiple forward slashes (e.g., `GET /secret/////////`). On vulnerable systems, directory listing may be returned instead of the default index pageAffected if Requesting URLs with many slashes returns directory contents instead of the configured index page or 403 Forbidden
You are affected if Apache 1.3.20 is running on Windows and a request with excessive forward slashes bypasses index page settings to expose directory listings.
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 Apache to a version newer than 1.3.20 that includes the patch for this vulnerability, or configure DirectoryIndex directives and Options -Indexes to explicitly prevent directory listing.
Fix this in HTTP Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2001-0729 — 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-2001-0729 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data