CVE-2010-2731
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.1 on Windows XP SP3, when directory-based Basic Authentication is enabled, allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and execute ASP files via a crafted request, aka "Directory Authentication Bypass Vulnerability."
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 confidenceThis is an authentication bypass vulnerability in IIS 5.1 on Windows XP SP3. When directory-based Basic Authentication is enabled, attackers can craft malicious HTTP requests to bypass authentication and execute ASP files without proper credentials. The vulnerability exploits how IIS handles authentication for directory-level requests.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify IIS version is 5.1Open Command Prompt and run: iisreset /status or check the IIS Manager snap-in for the version number under Help > About Internet Information ServicesAffected if IIS version is 5.1 on Windows XP SP3 (the only affected configuration)
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Confirm Windows XP SP3 is the host OSRight-click My Computer > Properties, or run 'winver' from command prompt. Verify the OS is Windows XP Professional SP3Affected if The server is running Windows XP SP3 with IIS 5.1 installed
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Check if Basic Authentication is enabledOpen IIS Manager > select the web server > right-click Properties > click the Security tab. Under Authentication and access control, click Edit. Check if Basic Authentication is checked/enabledAffected if Basic Authentication is enabled in IIS security settings
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Verify directory-level Basic Authentication configurationIn IIS Manager, expand the web site and check individual directories or virtual directories. Right-click each directory > Properties > check the Directory Security tab for Basic Authentication settings applied at the directory levelAffected if Basic Authentication is configured at the directory level (not just at the site root)
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Confirm ASP script execution is permittedIn IIS Manager, check the Home Directory or Directory tab for a web site or directory. Verify that 'Script source access' or 'Execute permissions' is set to 'Scripts only' or 'Scripts and Executables'Affected if ASP script execution is enabled alongside Basic Authentication on the same directory
The environment is affected if running IIS 5.1 on Windows XP SP3 with Basic Authentication enabled at the directory level and ASP script execution permitted, allowing unauthenticated ASP file execution.
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 directory-based Basic Authentication in IIS and use more secure authentication mechanisms such as Windows Authentication or forms-based authentication with TLS. Alternatively, upgrade from the obsolete Windows XP/IIS 5.1 platform which is no longer supported.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-2731 — 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-2010-2731 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data