dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2007-0214

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-02-13
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
The HTML Help ActiveX control (Hhctrl.ocx) in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3, XP SP2 and Professional, 2003 SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified functions, related to uninitialized parameters.

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

The HTML Help ActiveX control (Hhctrl.ocx) contains a vulnerability where unspecified functions use uninitialized parameters, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited for remote code execution. This is a client-side vulnerability requiring user interaction (such as visiting a malicious webpage or opening a malicious HTML file).

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security patch for this vulnerability; alternatively, disable the Hhctrl.ocx ActiveX control or restrict ActiveX execution in Internet Explorer for untrusted 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
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions= 64-bit= itanium= sp1
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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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. Verify Hhctrl.ocx is present on the system
    Check for the existence of the HTML Help ActiveX control file at %SystemRoot%\System32\Hhctrl.ocx (or %SystemRoot%\System32\Hhctrl.ocx on Windows 2000). Use: dir C:\Windows\System32\Hhctrl.ocx or file explorer navigation.
    Affected if The file exists on the system, indicating the vulnerable component is installed.
  2. Confirm Windows version is affected
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to identify the Windows version. Also run 'systeminfo' for detailed OS build information.
    Affected if The system runs Windows 2000 (any version), Windows XP (any version), or Windows 2003 Server (any version, 64-bit, Itanium, or SP1).
  3. Check Hhctrl.ocx file version
    Right-click Hhctrl.ocx in System32, select Properties, then look at the Version tab. Alternatively, use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\Windows\System32\Hhctrl.ocx').VersionInfo.FileVersion
    Affected if The file version predates the Microsoft security patch for CVE-2007-0214 (compare against the patch date and any vendor-released fixed version).
  4. Verify ActiveX control is enabled in Internet Explorer
    In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level. Look for 'Run ActiveX controls and plugins' settings in each zone (Internet, Local Intranet, Trusted Sites, Restricted Sites).
    Affected if ActiveX controls are enabled in any zone where untrusted web content may be loaded (especially Internet zone).

A user is affected if their system runs an affected Windows version (2000, XP, or 2003 Server) with the Hhctrl.ocx file present and ActiveX execution enabled in browsers or applications that may load HTML Help content.

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 the relevant Microsoft security patch for this vulnerability; alternatively, disable the Hhctrl.ocx ActiveX control or restrict ActiveX execution in Internet Explorer for untrusted zones.

Recommended fix High confidence

Move to Windows 10 or Windows 11 (or another currently supported operating system)

  1. Open Microsoft Update or Windows Update on the affected system
  2. Check for and install all available security updates, particularly any Microsoft security patches for the HTML Help ActiveX control (Hhctrl.ocx)
  3. If automatic updates are not available (common for end-of-life Windows 2000/XP/2003), manually search Microsoft Knowledge Base for security bulletin MS07-029 (the patch that addressed this vulnerability)
  4. Download and apply the appropriate security patch for your specific Windows version and service pack
  5. After patching, verify the Hhctrl.ocx version matches the patched version by checking the file properties
  6. Alternatively, as these Windows versions are end-of-life with no further security updates, migrate to a supported Windows version (Windows 10 or 11)
Caveat Upgrading from Windows 2000/XP/2003 to modern Windows may require hardware upgrades and application compatibility testing; legacy applications may not function on newer OS versions

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2007-0214 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