dbcve.org
Iplanet Directory ServerApplication · Sun

CVE-2003-0676

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
Directory traversal vulnerability in ViewLog for iPlanet Administration Server 5.1 (aka Sun ONE) allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via "..%2f" (partially encoded dot dot) sequences.

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

Directory traversal vulnerability in the ViewLog component of iPlanet Administration Server 5.1 (Sun ONE) allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files on the system by using partially URL-encoded "..%2f" sequences in path requests, enabling traversal outside the intended web root directory.

MitigationApply available patches for iPlanet/Sun ONE Administration Server; if patches are unavailable, restrict network access to the Administration Server or disable the ViewLog component entirely.

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
Iplanet Directory ServerApplication
Affected:= 5.0= 5.1
One Directory ServerApplication
Affected:= 5.0= 5.0_sp2= 5.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm iPlanet Administration Server is installed
    Look for running processes (e.g., 'admserv' or 'httpd' processes) or check listening ports (typically 4444 or 4445 for admin server) using 'netstat -an | grep -E "(4444|4445)"' or 'ps -ef | grep -i admin'
    Affected if No Administration Server process found or no admin ports listening - not affected; if running, continue to version check
  2. Identify installed version
    Check version file or documentation. Common locations: /var/opt/iplanet/admin-serv/config/server.xml or /opt/SUNWics5/ds5/dscc/etc/dscc.conf, or run 'admservadm version' if available. Compare against affected versions: Sun Iplanet/Sun ONE Directory Server 5.0, 5.0_sp2, 5.1
    Affected if Installed version matches 5.0, 5.0_sp2, or 5.1 - potentially affected; if version is higher (e.g., 5.2+) or not in affected list, likely not affected
  3. Determine if ViewLog component is enabled
    Check the Administration Server configuration for ViewLog module. Look in server.xml or .conf files for entries containing 'ViewLog' or 'logviewer'. Typically found in /var/opt/iplanet/admin-serv/config/ or /opt/SUNWics5/ds5/dscc/etc/
    Affected if ViewLog component is present and enabled in configuration - vulnerable path exists; if ViewLog is disabled or absent, the specific flaw may not be exploitable
  4. Test for directory traversal vulnerability
    If ViewLog is accessible, send a crafted HTTP request using URL-encoded traversal: GET /admin-serv/viewlog?file=..%2f..%2fetc/passwd HTTP/1.1 or similar to the admin server port (e.g., https://localhost:4444). Observe if the response contains contents outside the intended directory
    Affected if Request returns file contents from outside the web root (e.g., /etc/passwd or other system files) - CONFIRMATION of being affected; if request fails or returns access denied, likely not affected or already mitigated

User is affected if Sun ONE/iPlanet Administration Server versions 5.0 through 5.1 are running with ViewLog component enabled and the directory traversal test successfully returns arbitrary file contents.

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

Apply available patches for iPlanet/Sun ONE Administration Server; if patches are unavailable, restrict network access to the Administration Server or disable the ViewLog component entirely.

Fix this in Iplanet Directory Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2003-0676 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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