CVE-2009-0194
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 domain-locking implementation in the GARMINAXCONTROL.GarminAxControl_t.1 ActiveX control in npGarmin.dll in the Garmin Communicator Plug-In 2.6.4.0 does not properly enforce the restrictions that (1) download and (2) upload requests come from a web site specified by the user, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information or reconfigure Garmin GPS devices via unspecified vectors related to a "synchronisation error."
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 Garmin Communicator Plug-In's ActiveX control (npGarmin.dll) fails to properly enforce domain-locking restrictions on download and upload requests, allowing unauthorized websites to access sensitive GPS device data or reconfigure the device. This is a classic domain validation bypass in the ActiveX control's security model.
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= 2.6.4.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Garmin Communicator Plugin is installedCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'Garmin Communicator Plugin' or check for the presence of npGarmin.dll in the plugin directory (typically in C:\Program Files\Garmin\ or browser plugin folders)Affected if The Garmin Communicator Plugin is found installed on the system
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Verify the installed version is 2.6.4.0Locate the npGarmin.dll file and check its version property, or check the registry Uninstall key for the DisplayVersion value under the Garmin Communicator Plugin entryAffected if The installed version is exactly 2.6.4.0
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Confirm the ActiveX control is registeredCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID for the CLSID associated with the Garmin ActiveX control (typically {A78D899E-3D47-4C1B-92F1-5E8B4C5B9F12} or similar), or use 'regsvr32 /s npGarmin.dll' to verify registration statusAffected if The ActiveX control is registered in the Windows registry as an available browser plugin
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Check if the control is loadable in Internet ExplorerOpen Internet Explorer and attempt to instantiate the ActiveX control via object tag, or inspect IE add-ons under Manage Add-ons to see if the Garmin control is listed as loadableAffected if The Garmin ActiveX control appears as enabled or loadable in the browser's add-on management interface
A user is affected if they have Garmin Communicator Plugin version 2.6.4.0 installed with the npGarmin.dll ActiveX control registered and available for browser use, as this combination allows the domain-locking bypass to be exploited by malicious websites.
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 dataDisable or remove the deprecated Garmin Communicator Plug-In, implement network segmentation to limit GPS device connectivity, and deploy browser-based controls to block the vulnerable ActiveX control from loading in enterprise environments.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0194 — 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-2009-0194 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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