CVE-2002-0978
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 · uneditedMicrosoft File Transfer Manager (FTM) ActiveX control before 4.0 allows remote attackers to upload or download arbitrary files to arbitrary locations via a man-in-the-middle attack with modified TGT and TGN parameters in a call to the "Persist" function.
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 confidenceMicrosoft File Transfer Manager (FTM) ActiveX control before version 4.0 contains a vulnerability in the Persist function where attackers can manipulate TGT and TGN parameters during file transfers, enabling a man-in-the-middle attacker to upload or download arbitrary files to arbitrary locations on the victim's system.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
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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Locate File Transfer Manager installationSearch for ftn管理 or ftm*.dll files on the system, typically found in Windows\System32 or application directories. Also check for MSFTQMS, GenericThumbnail or similar ActiveX CLSIDs in registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSIDAffected if FTM ActiveX control DLL files are present on the system and the version is below 4.0.0.0
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Check FTM ActiveX control versionRight-click the FTM DLL file (such as ftn管理.exe, MSFTQM.dll, or similar FTM components), select Properties, then check the File Version field. Alternatively, query the ActiveX control version via registry under the installed CLSID for the FTM componentAffected if The file version is lower than 4.0.0.0 or the version field is empty/unavailable indicating a pre-4.0 release
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Identify applications using FTMReview installed Microsoft applications that historically used FTM (Microsoft Office updates, MSDN subscriptions, Windows Update components). Check registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup for FTM-related entries, or examine running processes for ftn管理.exeAffected if Applications utilizing the vulnerable FTM ActiveX control are installed and actively use the Persist function for file transfers
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Inspect network traffic configurationCapture and analyze network traffic from the FTM component using a packet sniffer to observe if file transfers occur over unencrypted channels. Check if TLS/SSL is enforced in any FTM configuration files or registry settings under the FTM component keysAffected if FTM file transfers are transmitted over unencrypted connections without TLS/SSL protection, allowing MITM manipulation of TGT and TGN parameters
The system is affected if Microsoft File Transfer Manager ActiveX control version below 4.0 is installed and used for file transfers, especially over unencrypted network connections where the Persist function can be exploited.
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 Microsoft File Transfer Manager to version 4.0 or later, and implement TLS/SSL encryption for all FTM communications to prevent MITM attacks.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-0978 — 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-2002-0978 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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- 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
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