dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2004-0571

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
Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0 Converter does not properly validate certain data lengths, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a .wri, .rtf, and .doc file sent by email or malicious web site, aka "Table Conversion Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2004-0901.

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 Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0 converter fails to properly validate data length fields in document files (.wri, .rtf, .doc), allowing a buffer overflow that can be exploited for arbitrary code execution via malicious attachments or web-hosted files.

MitigationDisable or remove the Word 6.0 converter if not required; avoid opening untrusted or unexpected document attachments, especially legacy formats, and apply Microsoft's historical patch MS04-027 if systems remain vulnerable.

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:= enterprise= enterprise_64-bit= r2= standard= web
Windows 98Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 98seOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows MeOperating system
Affected:all versions
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. Confirm Windows version is affected
    Run 'winver' or check system properties to identify the Windows version. For Windows 2003 Server, note the specific edition (enterprise, standard, web, r2).
    Affected if The system runs Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server (any listed edition), Windows 98, Windows 98se, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows XP.
  2. Locate the Word 6.0 converter component
    Search the system for the Word 6.0 converter file. This converter is typically bundled with Microsoft Office or Windows and may appear as a conversion filter or DLL related to 'wrd6c32.dll' or similar legacy Word 6.0 components.
    Affected if The Word 6.0 converter binary exists on the system.
  3. Verify the converter is registered or accessible
    Check Windows registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for .wri file associations or look for the converter in the list of installed document converters. Alternatively, attempt to open a legacy .wri file in Word to see if the converter is invoked.
    Affected if The converter is registered as available for processing .wri, .rtf, or .doc files.
  4. Identify if legacy document support is enabled
    Review installed Office or Windows components to determine if legacy document converters (particularly for Word 6.0 format) are installed and enabled.
    Affected if Legacy Word 6.0 document conversion capability is present and operational on the system.

The system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions AND has the Word 6.0 converter installed and available for processing document 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

Disable or remove the Word 6.0 converter if not required; avoid opening untrusted or unexpected document attachments, especially legacy formats, and apply Microsoft's historical patch MS04-027 if systems remain vulnerable.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-027 patch (KB837009); for long-term remediation, migrate to supported Windows versions (Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2016+)

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-027, which patches the WordPad text converter vulnerability (837009) that affects the Word for Windows 6.0 Converter
  2. For Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003: Use Windows Update or Microsoft Update to check for and install security update KB837009
  3. For Windows 98, Windows 98SE, and Windows Me: These operating systems are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates; consider migrating to a supported operating system
  4. For Windows NT 4.0: This operating system is end-of-life and no longer receives security updates; consider migrating to a supported operating system
  5. After applying the patch, restart the affected system as prompted
Caveat Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates; legacy systems may have compatibility issues with modern software

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

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2004-0571 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