CVE-2003-0525
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 · uneditedThe getCanonicalPath function in Windows NT 4.0 may free memory that it does not own and cause heap corruption, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via requests that cause a long file name to be passed to getCanonicalPath, as demonstrated on the IBM JVM using a long string to the java.io.getCanonicalPath Java method.
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 · moderate confidenceThe getCanonicalPath function in Windows NT 4.0 contains a memory corruption vulnerability where it may free memory that it does not own when processing long file names, leading to heap corruption and denial of service via crash. This was demonstrated through the IBM JVM's java.io.getCanonicalPath method.
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= 4.0CVSS 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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Identify the Windows operating system versionRun 'winmsd' or check System Properties to determine the exact Windows version. On Windows NT 4.0, the OS name will display as 'Microsoft Windows NT' with version 4.0Affected if The system is running Windows NT version 4.0 specifically. This vulnerability does not affect later Windows versions such as 2000, XP, or Server 2003.
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Determine if Java is installedCheck for the presence of Java installations by looking for 'java.exe' in system paths or checking Add/Remove Programs for IBM JVM or Sun Java entriesAffected if IBM JVM or any Java 2 SDK implementation is installed on Windows NT 4.0, as the vulnerability was demonstrated through the IBM JVM's java.io.getCanonicalPath method.
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Check for applications using file path canonicalizationReview application code or dependencies for usage of java.io.File.getCanonicalPath(), java.io.File.getCanonicalFile(), or equivalent native path resolution functionsAffected if Any application on Windows NT 4.0 invokes the getCanonicalPath function with long file names that trigger the memory corruption.
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Verify Java security policy configurationExamine the Java security manager settings and policy files that control file operations. The vulnerability can be triggered through untrusted applets or applications performing file path operationsAffected if Java applications with file system access permissions are running on an affected Windows NT 4.0 system.
A system is affected only if it is running Windows NT 4.0 specifically and executes Java code or other code paths that invoke the getCanonicalPath function with long file names, leading to heap corruption and potential denial of service.
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 Windows NT 4.0, an obsolete and unsupported operating system. The primary remediation is to migrate to a supported Windows version. Additionally, ensure any JVM implementations are updated to current, patched versions.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation40.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-0525 — 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-2003-0525 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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