CVE-2002-1204
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 · uneditedNetscape Communicator 4.x allows attackers to use a link to steal a user's preferences, including potentially sensitive information such as URL history, e-mail address, and possibly the e-mail password, by redefining the user_pref() function and accessing the prefs.js file, which is stored in a directory with a predictable name.
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 confidenceNetscape Communicator 4.x has a vulnerability where a malicious webpage can redefine the JavaScript user_pref() function to extract sensitive preference data from the client's prefs.js file. The prefs.js file, stored in a directory with a predictable name, contains user preferences including URL history, email address, and potentially email passwords.
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= 4.6= 4.7= 4.61= 4.72= 4.73= 4.74= 4.75= 4.76= 4.77= 4.78CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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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Confirm Netscape Communicator 4.x is installedSearch for netscape.exe or Communicator.exe in common program directories (C:\Program Files\Netscape, C:\Program Files (x86)\Netscape) or check Add/Remove Programs for Netscape CommunicatorAffected if Netscape Communicator 4.x executable is found on the system
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Verify the installed version is affectedRun the Netscape Communicator executable and check Help > About, or right-click the executable and view Properties > VersionAffected if Version is 4.6, 4.7, 4.61, 4.72, 4.73, 4.74, 4.75, 4.76, 4.77, or 4.78
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Check if JavaScript is enabledIn Netscape Communicator, go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Scripts & Plugins, or check the prefs.js file for the 'javascript.enabled' preferenceAffected if JavaScript is enabled in the browser configuration
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Locate the prefs.js fileSearch for prefs.js in the user's profile directory, typically found under C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Netscape\Profiles\ or in the Netscape installation directoryAffected if prefs.js file exists in a Netscape profile directory on the system
If Netscape Communicator 4.x (versions 4.6-4.78) is installed with JavaScript enabled and the prefs.js file exists, the system is affected by this vulnerability.
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 dataThis vulnerability affects obsolete software (Netscape Communicator 4.x) that is no longer supported. The primary remediation is to migrate to a modern, supported browser. If use cannot be discontinued, disable JavaScript execution and restrict access to the prefs.js file location.
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- Review / QA1.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-1204 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data