CVE-2002-0152
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in various Microsoft applications for Macintosh allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or execute arbitrary code by invoking the file:// directive with a large number of / characters, which affects Internet Explorer 5.1, Outlook Express 5.0 through 5.0.2, Entourage v. X and 2001, PowerPoint v. X, 2001, and 98, and Excel v. X and 2001 for Macintosh.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow in Microsoft Mac applications triggered by file:// URLs containing an excessive number of forward slash characters. Affected products include Internet Explorer 5.1, Outlook Express 5.0-5.0.2, Entourage X/2001, PowerPoint X/2001/98, and Excel X/2001 for Macintosh. The overflow can cause denial of service or permit arbitrary code execution.
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= 2001= v._x= 2001= x= 5.1= 2001= v.x= 5.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 5.0.3= 98= 2001= v.xCVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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.
-
Identify installed Microsoft Mac applicationsSearch the system for any of the following applications: Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac, Outlook Express 5.0-5.0.3 for Mac, Entourage 2001 or X, PowerPoint 98, 2001, or X, Excel 2001 or X, or Microsoft Office 2001 for Mac. Check Applications folders, system backups, or legacy system installations.Affected if Any of these specific applications are found installed on the system
-
Verify application version numbersFor each identified application, determine the exact version number. On Mac OS X, this is typically done by selecting the application, choosing Get Info, or using the command line tool 'defaults read' if the application stores version info in plist files.Affected if The version matches any of these affected ranges: IE 5.1, Outlook Express 5.0 through 5.0.3, Entourage 2001 or X, PowerPoint 98, 2001, or X, Excel 2001 or X, or Office 2001 for Mac
-
Confirm URL handling is accessibleDetermine whether the application has the ability to process file:// URLs. This is typically enabled if the application can open files, parse hyperlinks, or handle web-based content. For Outlook Express and Entourage, check if email handling or HTML rendering features are active.Affected if The application can process file:// URLs and the URL handler is not explicitly disabled or sandboxed
The environment is affected if any of the listed Microsoft Mac applications (IE 5.1, Outlook Express 5.0-5.0.3, Entourage 2001/X, PowerPoint 98/2001/X, Excel 2001/X, or Office 2001) are installed with a matching version AND the application can process file:// URLs.
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 dataGiven this vulnerability affects legacy Macintosh applications from circa 2001-2002 that are likely obsolete and no longer supported, the recommended remediation is to migrate to current, supported Microsoft applications or discontinue use of affected software.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-0152 — 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-2002-0152 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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