Darwin Streaming ServerApplication · Apple

CVE-2003-0422

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2003-08-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Apple QuickTime / Darwin Streaming Server before 4.1.3f allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a request to view_broadcast.cgi that does not contain the required parameters.

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 confidence

The Darwin Streaming Server's view_broadcast.cgi script fails to validate required parameters before processing requests. When a remote attacker sends a request without the expected parameters, the CGI script crashes due to missing input validation, causing a denial of service condition.

MitigationUpgrade to Darwin Streaming Server 4.1.3f or later, which includes proper parameter validation for the view_broadcast.cgi script. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to the CGI scripts via network-level filtering.

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
Darwin Streaming ServerApplication
Affected:= 4.1.3

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Darwin Streaming Server is installed
    Check for the presence of Darwin Streaming Server by looking for its installation directory (typically /usr/local/mtwilson or /Library/QuickTimeStreaming) or by querying installed packages if using a package manager
    Affected if Darwin Streaming Server is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Look for a version file or check the server binary version. Common locations: /usr/local/mtwilson/StreamingServerVersion, or run: /usr/local/mtwilson/bin/StreamingServer -version, or check the About dialog in admin interface
    Affected if Version is exactly 4.1.3 (vulnerable); versions 4.1.3f and later are fixed
  3. Locate the view_broadcast.cgi script
    Find the CGI scripts directory - typically in the /cgi-bin/ folder under the web server root. Search for view_broadcast.cgi file: find / -name 'view_broadcast.cgi' 2>/dev/null
    Affected if view_broadcast.cgi script exists in a web-accessible CGI directory
  4. Verify the server is running and accessible
    Check if the streaming server process is running (ps aux | grep Streaming) and if the web interface or CGI is reachable on the configured port (default 8080 or 80)
    Affected if Server is running and network-accessible, making the vulnerable CGI script reachable

The environment is affected only if Darwin Streaming Server version 4.1.3 is installed, the view_broadcast.cgi script exists, and the server is running and accessible to remote attackers who can trigger the crash by sending requests without required parameters.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Darwin Streaming Server 4.1.3f or later, which includes proper parameter validation for the view_broadcast.cgi script. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to the CGI scripts via network-level filtering.

Fix this in Darwin Streaming Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2003-0422 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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