dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2004-0790

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-04-12
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
High EPSS 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
Multiple TCP/IP and ICMP implementations allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (reset TCP connections) via spoofed ICMP error messages, aka the "blind connection-reset attack." NOTE: CVE-2004-0790, CVE-2004-0791, and CVE-2004-1060 have been SPLIT based on different attacks; CVE-2005-0065, CVE-2005-0066, CVE-2005-0067, and CVE-2005-0068 are related identifiers that are SPLIT based on the underlying vulnerability. While CVE normally SPLITs based on vulnerability, the attack-based identifiers exist due to the variety and number of affected implementations and solutions that address the attacks instead of the underlying vulnerabilities.

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

This vulnerability affects multiple TCP/IP and ICMP implementations, allowing remote attackers to reset existing TCP connections by sending spoofed ICMP error messages. The attack exploits the trust that TCP stacks place in ICMP error messages without adequate validation, enabling a blind connection-reset that disrupts legitimate communications.

MitigationImplement ICMP filtering at network borders to block potentially malicious ICMP error messages, and configure systems to validate ICMP error messages against existing connections before resetting them. Alternatively, use encrypted transport protocols that are resistant to connection disruption.

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:= r2
Windows 98Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 98seOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows MeOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions
SolarisOperating system
Affected:= 9.0= 10.0
SunosOperating system
Affected:= 5.7= 5.8

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to determine the exact Windows version (2000, XP, 2003 R2, 98, 98se, or Me)
    Affected if The installed Windows version is 2000, XP, 98, 98se, Me (any version) or Windows 2003 Server R2 specifically
  2. Identify Sun/Solaris version
    Run 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/release' to determine the SunOS or Solaris version number
    Affected if The installed system is SunOS 5.7, SunOS 5.8, Solaris 9.0, or Solaris 10.0
  3. Verify ICMP accessibility
    Check if the system accepts ICMP traffic by attempting to ping it from another host, or review firewall rules with 'netsh firewall show icmpsetting' on Windows or 'ipfstat -i' on Solaris
    Affected if ICMP echo requests or error messages are allowed through any firewall and can reach the target system
  4. Confirm TCP/IP stack handles ICMP errors
    Review system network configuration: on Windows check registry key 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\EnableICMPRedirect' (should be present for older versions); on Solaris check with 'ndd /dev/ip ip_ignore_redirect'
    Affected if The system processes ICMP redirect or error messages without validating they correspond to active TCP connections

The environment is affected if the system runs a Windows version (2000, XP, 98, 98se, Me, or 2003 R2) or a Sun/Solaris version (Sunos 5.7/5.8 or Solaris 9.0/10.0) AND ICMP traffic can reach the system to deliver spoofed error messages.

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

Implement ICMP filtering at network borders to block potentially malicious ICMP error messages, and configure systems to validate ICMP error messages against existing connections before resetting them. Alternatively, use encrypted transport protocols that are resistant to connection disruption.

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-0790 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2004-0790 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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