CVE-2006-3445
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 · uneditedInteger overflow in the ReadWideString function in agentdpv.dll in Microsoft Agent on Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, and Server 2003 up to SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a large length value in an .ACF file, which results in a heap-based buffer overflow.
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 confidenceInteger overflow in the ReadWideString function in agentdpv.dll (Microsoft Agent) allows remote code execution via specially crafted .ACF files containing oversized length values, resulting in heap-based buffer overflow.
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 versions= 64-bit= itanium= r2= sp1all 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/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.
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Verify if agentdpv.dll exists on the systemSearch for agentdpv.dll in the Windows\System32 directory (e.g., use File Explorer search or command: dir C:\Windows\System32\agentdpv.dll)Affected if The file exists on the system, indicating Microsoft Agent component is present
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Check if .ACF file association is registeredInspect the Windows registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.acf to see if a file type handler is definedAffected if A file type handler exists for .ACF files, meaning the system can process these files and trigger the vulnerable code path
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Verify Microsoft Agent is enabledCheck if the Microsoft Agent service or component is installed and enabled (look in Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Agent, or check registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\agentdpv.dll)Affected if Microsoft Agent is installed and functional, providing the attack surface for this vulnerability
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Confirm installed Windows version matches affected rangeRun 'winver' or check system properties to identify the exact Windows version and Service Pack levelAffected if The system runs Windows 2000 (any), Windows XP (any), or Windows 2003 Server 64-bit/Itanium/R2/SP1 - matching the affected product list
The system is affected if agentdpv.dll is present, .ACF file association is active, and the Windows version matches one of the affected products listed in the CVE.
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 patch KB920213. If patching is not feasible, disable Microsoft Agent service or block .ACF file association to prevent exploitation.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2006-3445 — 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-2006-3445 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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