CVE-2005-2117
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 · uneditedWeb View in Windows Explorer on Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP1 and SP2, and Server 2003 does not properly handle certain HTML characters in preview fields, which allows remote user-assisted attackers to execute arbitrary code.
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 confidenceWindows Explorer Web View feature fails to properly sanitize HTML characters in preview fields, allowing injection of malicious HTML/scripts that can be triggered when users preview crafted files, leading to arbitrary code execution. This is a user-assisted attack requiring the victim to preview a specially crafted file.
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 dataall versionsall versions= r2all versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify Windows versionRun 'winver' or check System Properties to determine the Windows version. Affected systems are Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server R2, or any Windows version with Windows Explorer.Affected if The system is running Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 R2, or an older Windows Explorer version that has not been patched.
-
Confirm WebView preview feature is enabledOpen Windows Explorer, look for the preview pane (typically on the right side of the window in older Explorer versions) or check if selecting a file shows its contents in a preview window. In Windows XP/2003, this is the 'WebView' feature accessible via View menu.Affected if The WebView preview pane is enabled and operational, allowing HTML content to be rendered when previewing files.
-
Check if MS05-044 update is installedOpen Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, check 'Show updates', and look for 'Security Update for Windows (MS05-044)' in the installed updates list. Alternatively, run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history.Affected if MS05-044 security update is NOT installed - the system is unpatched and vulnerable.
-
Verify Explorer version and patch levelRight-click onExplorer executable (typically in C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32), select Properties, and check the File Version. Compare against the version that includes the MS05-044 fix.Affected if The Windows Explorer executable version predates the MS05-044 fix or the file is unpatched.
A system is affected if it runs Windows 2000, XP, or Server 2003 R2 (or an older Windows Explorer) AND has the WebView preview feature enabled AND is missing the MS05-044 security update.
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 dataApply Microsoft security updates MS05-044 or later, or upgrade from unsupported Windows versions (2000/XP/Server 2003) to supported operating systems as these legacy platforms are no longer patchable.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-2117 — 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-2005-2117 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
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.
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.
- 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