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Flexnet ConnectApplication · Macrovision

CVE-2007-0321

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-02-23
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
Buffer overflow in the Update Service Agent ActiveX Control in isusweb.dll for Macrovision FLEXnet Connect (formerly InstallShield Update Service) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the Download method.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the Update Service Agent ActiveX Control (isusweb.dll) within Macrovision FLEXnet Connect. The insecure Download method fails to properly validate input length, allowing remote attackers to overflow a buffer and execute arbitrary code via malicious web pages or other attack vectors leveraging the ActiveX control.

MitigationDisable the vulnerable ActiveX control by setting the kill bit in the Windows registry, or update to a patched version of FLEXnet Connect. If the Update Service is not required, uninstall the software entirely.

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
Flexnet ConnectApplication
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. Locate the vulnerable ActiveX DLL
    Search for isusweb.dll on the system using file search or command: dir /s C:\isusweb.dll
    Affected if The file exists in any directory (indicates FLEXnet Connect or related software is installed)
  2. Verify the ActiveX control is registered
    Check Windows registry for the isusweb.dll component under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID or search for 'isusweb' in registry using reg query
    Affected if The ActiveX control is registered in the registry, meaning it can be invoked by browsers or applications
  3. Check the kill bit status
    Examine the registry path HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units\{CLSID} for the isusweb control, or check under HKCR\CLSID\{CLSID}\InprocServer32 for the DLL and verify if a kill bit is set in the registry
    Affected if The kill bit is NOT set (value not present or not set to 1), indicating the control is currently enabled and vulnerable
  4. Confirm the software installation
    Check Add/Remove Programs or search for FLEXnet Connect installation directories (common paths: C:\Program Files\FLEXnet Connect, C:\Program Files\Common Files\Macrovision), or check registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Macrovision
    Affected if FLEXnet Connect or related Macrovision update software is installed (all versions are affected per the CVE)
  5. Check if Update Service is running
    Open Services control panel or run: sc query flexnet or look for services containing 'FLEXnet' or 'Update Service' in the name
    Affected if The Update Service is running, which enables the attack surface for this ActiveX vulnerability

If the isusweb.dll file exists, the ActiveX control is registered, the kill bit is not set, and FLEXnet Connect is installed, the system is affected by CVE-2007-0321.

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

Disable the vulnerable ActiveX control by setting the kill bit in the Windows registry, or update to a patched version of FLEXnet Connect. If the Update Service is not required, uninstall the software entirely.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. This is a legacy vulnerability (2007) in FLEXnet Connect (formerly InstallShield Update Service), a deprecated end-of-life product.
  2. The ActiveX control (isusweb.dll) should be disabled at the browser/system level to mitigate the vulnerability.
  3. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level and disable 'ActiveX controls and plug-ins' or add the isusweb.dll to the ActiveX kill bit list.
  4. For a system-wide mitigation, register the ActiveX control with the 'kill bit' in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{GUID] setting the Compatibility Flags to 0x00000400.
  5. Alternatively, remove or delete the isusweb.dll file if the product is no longer needed.
  6. Note: FLEXnet Connect was acquired by Flexera Software and the product has been end-of-lifed. Consider migrating to modern patch management solutions.
Caveat FLEXnet Connect is end-of-life; no upgrade path available. Product has been superseded by Flexera products.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Flexnet Connect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2007-0321 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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