CVE-2004-0578
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 · uneditedWinGate 5.2.3 build 901 and 6.0 beta 2 build 942, and other versions such as 5.0.5, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via leading slash (//) characters in a URL request to the wingate-internal directory.
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 confidenceWinGate proxy server versions 5.0.5, 5.2.3 build 901, and 6.0 beta 2 build 942 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the wingate-internal web directory. Remote attackers can read arbitrary files on the server by using leading slash characters (//) in URL requests, which bypasses path sanity checks and allows directory traversal outside the intended wingate-internal directory.
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= 5.0.5= 5.2.3= 6.0_beta_2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm WinGate proxy server is installed and runningCheck running processes for WinGate-related services (wingate.exe, WinGate.exe, or similar) or check installed programs for Qbik WinGateAffected if WinGate is not installed or not running - the vulnerability does not apply
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Identify the installed WinGate versionUse the program's built-in version information (help menu, about dialog, or command-line version flag) to determine the exact version number and buildAffected if The installed version is 5.0.5, 5.2.3 build 901, or 6.0 beta 2 build 942 exactly as listed in the affected versions
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Verify the wingate-internal web interface is accessibleAttempt to access the wingate-internal web directory via HTTP on the WinGate server port (commonly port 80 or 8080) using a browser or curl commandAffected if The wingate-internal web directory responds to requests - the vulnerability can only be exploited if this interface is accessible
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Test for path traversal vulnerabilitySend an HTTP GET request to the wingate-internal directory using double slashes (//) followed by a known file path outside the web root, such as //windows/win.ini or //boot.ini, and observe if the file contents are returnedAffected if The server returns the contents of files outside the wingate-internal directory, confirming the path traversal vulnerability is present
A user is affected if WinGate is installed with version 5.0.5, 5.2.3 build 901, or 6.0 beta 2 build 942 AND the wingate-internal web interface is accessible AND the path traversal test returns arbitrary file contents.
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 dataUpgrade WinGate to a patched version beyond the vulnerable builds, or implement network-level access controls to restrict unauthorized access to the wingate-internal directory.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-0578 — 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-2004-0578 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
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