CVE-2003-0239
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 · uneditedicqateimg32.dll parsing/rendering library in Mirabilis ICQ Pro 2003a allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via malformed GIF89a headers that do not contain a GCT (Global Color Table) or an LCT (Local Color Table) after an Image Descriptor.
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 confidenceThe icqateimg32.dll image parsing library in Mirabilis ICQ Pro 2003a fails to properly validate GIF89a image headers that lack either a Global Color Table (GCT) or Local Color Table (LCT) following an Image Descriptor. When processing such malformed GIF files, the library triggers a denial of service condition, likely due to a null pointer dereference or missing bounds check when attempting to access color table data that doesn't exist.
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= 99a_2.15build1701= 99a_2.21build1800= 2000.0a= 2000.0b_build3278= 2001a= 2001b_build3636= 2001b_build3638= 2001b_build3659= 2002a_build3722= 2002a_build3727= 2003a_build3777= 2003a_build3799CVSS 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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Locate ICQ installation directorySearch common ICQ installation paths such as C:\Program Files\ICQ, C:\Program Files (x86)\ICQ, or use file search for icq.exe or icqateimg32.dllAffected if ICQ executable is found on the system
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Identify installed ICQ versionRight-click on icq.exe, select Properties, then view the Version tab to find the File Version or Product Version stringAffected if The version matches one of these: 99a_2.15build1701, 99a_2.21build1800, 2000.0a, 2000.0b_build3278, 2001a, 2001b_build3636, 2001b_build3638, 2001b_build3659, 2002a_build3722, 2002a_build3727, 2003a_build3777, 2003a_build3799
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Verify vulnerable DLL presenceSearch for icqateimg32.dll in the ICQ installation directory and confirm the file existsAffected if icqateimg32.dll is present in the ICQ folder, indicating the image parsing library is installed
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Confirm image processing capability is activeCheck if ICQ has been run recently by reviewing prefetch files, recent documents, or registry run keys under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunAffected if ICQ has been executed, meaning the vulnerable image parsing component could be invoked when processing malicious GIF files
The system is affected if Mirabilis ICQ is installed with a version matching one of the listed affected builds and the icqateimg32.dll library is present.
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 dataSince ICQ Pro 2003a is discontinued and unlikely to receive vendor patches, organizations should migrate to supported ICQ clients or current alternative instant messaging platforms. If ICQ Pro 2003a must remain in use, consider network segmentation to limit exposure to malicious GIF files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-0239 — 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-2003-0239 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
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