dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2004-0901

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 (MSWRD632.WPC), as used in WordPad, 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 "Font Conversion Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2004-0571.

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

Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0 Converter (MSWRD632.WPC) used in WordPad fails to properly validate data lengths when processing .wri, .rtf, and .doc files. This allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted files delivered through email or malicious websites, achieving complete system compromise.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS04-041) or disable/uninstall the Word 6.0 converter if not needed. Avoid opening untrusted document files from unknown sources.

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. Check Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' from command prompt and note the Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version is Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server, Windows 98, Windows 98se, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows XP (all versions of these are affected)
  2. Locate the vulnerable converter file
    Search for MSWRD632.WPC file on the system. Typical locations include C:\Windows\System32\ and C:\Windows\System\
    Affected if The file MSWRD632.WPC exists on the system (this is the vulnerable Word 6.0 converter component)
  3. Verify WordPad file associations
    Check if .wri, .rtf, or .doc file types are associated with WordPad (WordPad uses this converter for .doc files). View registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.doc\OpenWithProgids or check file association via 'assoc' command
    Affected if WordPad is configured to open .doc files (WordPad relies on MSWRD632.WPC to process .doc format)
  4. Check if Word 6.0 converter is registered
    Check Windows Registry for the converter registration. Look in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Microsoft Word 6.0 Document\shell\open\command or search for 'MSWRD632.WPC' in registry using reg query
    Affected if The MSWRD632.WPC converter is registered in the Windows registry as a handler for Word documents

A user is affected if they are running a vulnerable Windows version (2000, 2003, 98, 98se, Me, NT 4.0, or XP) AND the MSWRD632.WPC converter file exists on the system and is registered for use with WordPad.

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

Apply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS04-041) or disable/uninstall the Word 6.0 converter if not needed. Avoid opening untrusted document files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a supported Windows version such as Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later, or Windows Vista/7/10/11 for systems currently on end-of-life operating systems

  1. Check if the system is running a supported Windows version (Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later) - if so, apply the latest security updates from Windows Update
  2. For Windows 2000: Check if Security Update MS04-041 (KB885836) was applied, or apply all subsequent security rollup packages
  3. For Windows XP: Ensure Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later is installed, then apply all security updates
  4. For Windows 98/Me: These versions reached end of support; the vulnerable WordPad converter (MSWRD632.WPC) can be manually removed or the system should be upgraded
  5. For Windows NT 4.0: This version reached end of support; the vulnerable component can be removed or the system should be decommissioned
  6. As a mitigation, configure mail servers and web proxies to block potentially malicious .wri, .rtf, and .doc attachments from untrusted sources
  7. Enable disable preview panes in mail clients to prevent automatic rendering of malicious documents
Caveat Applying security updates on legacy systems may cause compatibility issues with older applications; upgrading OS may require application re-certification or replacement

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2004-0901 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