CVE-2007-3729
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 · uneditedThe default configuration of the POP server in TCP/IP Services 5.6 for HP OpenVMS 8.3 generates different responses depending on whether or not a username is valid, which allows remote attackers to enumerate valid POP usernames.
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 confidenceThe POP server in TCP/IP Services 5.6 for HP OpenVMS 8.3 has a default configuration that produces distinguishable responses when given valid versus invalid usernames during authentication, allowing remote attackers to enumerate valid POP accounts through differential analysis.
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= 8.3CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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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Identify the HP OpenVMS versionRun 'SHOW SYSTEM' or check the OpenVMS version at login. Confirm it is version 8.3.Affected if The system is running HP OpenVMS 8.3 exactly.
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Confirm TCP/IP Services versionCheck the installed TCP/IP Services version using 'SHOW VERSION TCPIP' or equivalent command in the TCPIP namespace. Verify it is version 5.6.Affected if TCP/IP Services version 5.6 is installed on OpenVMS 8.3.
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Verify POP server is enabledCheck if the POP server service is configured and running. Use 'SHOW SERVICE POP' or similar command within the TCPIP management interface.Affected if The POP server is enabled and running on the system.
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Test authentication response differentiationConnect to the POP service externally and attempt authentication with a known invalid username versus a valid username. Observe whether the server returns different error messages or response codes for valid vs invalid usernames.Affected if The POP server returns measurably different responses (timing, error message text, or error codes) between valid and invalid usernames during authentication.
A system is affected if it runs HP OpenVMS 8.3 with TCP/IP Services 5.6, has the POP server enabled, and the default configuration produces distinguishable authentication responses that differ between valid and invalid usernames.
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 dataConfigure the POP server to return uniform responses regardless of whether the username is valid, eliminating the differential that enables enumeration.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-3729 — 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-2007-3729 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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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