dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2004-0568

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
HyperTerminal application for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 does not properly validate the length of a value that is saved in a session file, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malicious HyperTerminal session file (.ht), web site, or Telnet URL contained in an e-mail message, triggering a buffer overflow.

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

HyperTerminal for Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, and Server 2003 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in session file (.ht) parsing. The application fails to properly validate the length of a saved value before copying it into a fixed-size buffer, allowing attackers to overwrite return addresses and execute arbitrary code via malicious session files, Telnet URLs, or web sites.

MitigationDo not open untrusted HyperTerminal session files or click on unverified Telnet links. Since affected Windows versions are end-of-life, migrate to supported Windows versions and modern terminal applications, or implement network segmentation to restrict HyperTerminal exposure.

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
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:= datacenter_64-bit= enterprise= enterprise_64-bit= r2= standard= web
Windows NtOperating system
Affected:= 4.0
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Check if HyperTerminal is installed
    Look for hyperterminal.exe in the default installation path: C:\Program Files\Windows NT\hyperterminal\ or check Program Files for hyperterminal folder. You can also check Add/Remove Programs for HyperTerminal entry.
    Affected if HyperTerminal executable exists on the system
  2. Verify Windows version is affected
    Run 'winver' command or check System Properties. The affected versions are Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 (all versions), Windows XP (all versions), and Windows Server 2003 (all editions including datacenter_64-bit, enterprise, enterprise_64-bit, r2, standard, web).
    Affected if Operating system is Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, or Server 2003
  3. Check for .ht file association
    Look for .ht file extension association in Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ht or check if double-clicking a .ht file opens HyperTerminal.
    Affected if HyperTerminal is associated with .ht session files

You are affected if running Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, or Server 2003 with HyperTerminal installed and configured to handle session files.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Do not open untrusted HyperTerminal session files or click on unverified Telnet links. Since affected Windows versions are end-of-life, migrate to supported Windows versions and modern terminal applications, or implement network segmentation to restrict HyperTerminal exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply the relevant Microsoft security update for CVE-2004-0568 (typically MS04-043 or subsequent security rollups)

  1. Check if HyperTerminal is installed on the affected system
  2. Run Windows Update or manually check for the relevant Microsoft security bulletin addressing this HyperTerminal buffer overflow vulnerability
  3. Apply the appropriate Microsoft security update for this CVE
  4. Alternatively, if HyperTerminal is not required, uninstall or disable the HyperTerminal application to mitigate the vulnerability
  5. Verify the patch was applied successfully
Caveat For Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, extended support may be required from Microsoft; some older systems may require custom patch deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2004-0568 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
  • 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