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NeotraceApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2006-6707

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-12-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Stack-based buffer overflow in the NeoTraceExplorer.NeoTraceLoader ActiveX control (NeoTraceExplorer.dll) in NeoTrace Express 3.25 and NeoTrace Pro (aka McAfee Visual Trace) 3.25 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long argument string to the TraceTarget method. NOTE: The provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.

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 · low confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow in the NeoTraceExplorer.NeoTraceLoader ActiveX control (NeoTraceExplorer.dll) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long argument string to the TraceTarget method. This affects NeoTrace Express 3.25 and NeoTrace Pro (McAfee Visual Trace) 3.25.

MitigationDisable or remove the vulnerable NeoTrace ActiveX control. Set the kill bit for the CLSID in the Windows registry to prevent the control from loading in Internet Explorer, and disable ActiveX controls in browser security zones.

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
NeotraceApplication
Affected:= 3.25
Visual TraceApplication
Affected:= 3.25

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
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 checks

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

  1. Locate the NeoTraceExplorer.dll file
    Search the filesystem for NeoTraceExplorer.dll - common locations include C:\Program Files\NeoTrace, C:\Program Files\McAfee\Visual Trace, or C:\Program Files\McAfee\Neotrace. If found, right-click the file and view Properties to see the File Version.
    Affected if The DLL exists and its version is 3.25 (or if version cannot be determined but the file is present, treat as potentially affected)
  2. Check if the ActiveX control is registered
    Open the Windows Registry Editor and search for the CLSID associated with NeoTraceExplorer.NeoTraceLoader under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID, or search for 'NeoTraceExplorer.NeoTraceLoader' under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Also check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID.
    Affected if The ActiveX control is registered in the system registry, indicating it may be installed and loadable by Internet Explorer
  3. Identify the installed software version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs), and look for 'NeoTrace Express', 'NeoTrace Pro', 'McAfee Visual Trace', or 'McAfee Neotrace' in the installed programs list. Note the version shown.
    Affected if The installed version is 3.25, matching the vulnerable version range
  4. Verify if the vulnerable TraceTarget method is exposed
    This requires examining the ActiveX control's exposed methods. Use a tool like OLEVIEW or dumpbin to inspect the type library of NeoTraceExplorer.dll, or check registry entries under the CLSID's 'Methods' subkey if present.
    Affected if The TraceTarget method is exposed by the registered ActiveX control (this method contains the buffer overflow vulnerability)
  5. Check browser ActiveX settings
    In Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and review the settings under 'ActiveX controls and plugins'. Also check whether the kill bit has been set for the control's CLSID in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\.
    Affected if The ActiveX control is allowed to run in browser security zones (kill bit is NOT set)

A system is affected if NeoTraceExplorer.dll version 3.25 is installed AND the NeoTraceExplorer.NeoTraceLoader ActiveX control is registered AND the control is not blocked (kill bit not set), because only then can the TraceTarget method buffer overflow be triggered.

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

Disable or remove the vulnerable NeoTrace ActiveX control. Set the kill bit for the CLSID in the Windows registry to prevent the control from loading in Internet Explorer, and disable ActiveX controls in browser security zones.

Fix this in Neotrace Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2006-6707 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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