CVE-2014-4078
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 IP Security feature in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 8.0 and 8.5 does not properly process wildcard allow and deny rules for domains within the "IP Address and Domain Restrictions" list, which makes it easier for remote attackers to bypass an intended rule set via an HTTP request, aka "IIS Security Feature 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 a security feature bypass vulnerability in Microsoft IIS 8.0 and 8.5 IP Security module. The issue allows attackers to circumvent IP Address and Domain Restrictions when wildcard allow/deny rules are configured for domains. By crafting specific HTTP requests, attackers can bypass intended access controls.
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= 8.0= 8.5CVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:H/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 8.0 or 8.5Run 'inetmgr' to open IIS Manager, or check the registry key 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InetStp' for the 'VersionString' value, or run 'appcmd list server' in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Inetsrv folderAffected if The installed version is exactly 8.0 or exactly 8.5
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Confirm IP Security module is installedOpen IIS Manager, click on the server node, and check 'Modules' to see if 'IpSecurityModule' is listed, or check the Windows Features under 'Internet Information Services' > 'World Wide Web Services' > 'Security' for 'IP SecurityAffected if The IpSecurityModule is present in the Modules list or IP Security is enabled in Windows Features
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Check if IP Address and Domain Restrictions feature is configuredIn IIS Manager, select a site or application, then open 'IP Address and Domain Restrictions' feature, or check the applicationHost.config file at %SystemRoot%\System32\Inetsrv\Config\ for <ipSecurity> sectionsAffected if IP Address and Domain Restrictions are configured with any allow or deny rules
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Identify wildcard rules in IP restrictionsIn IIS Manager IP Address and Domain Restrictions, look for entries with domain wildcards (entries containing '*' in the domain field), or inspect the <ipSecurity> element in applicationHost.config for 'allowDomainWildcard' or 'denyDomainWildcard' attributes set to trueAffected if Any IP restriction rule uses a wildcard for domain restrictions (domain entries containing '*')
You are affected if you run IIS version 8.0 or 8.5, have the IP Security module installed, and have configured IP Address and Domain Restrictions with wildcard domain rules that could be bypassed.
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 dataApply Microsoft security patches for CVE-2014-4078. Review and update IP Address and Domain Restrictions configurations to ensure wildcard rules are properly enforced, or consider alternative authentication/authorization mechanisms.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4078 — 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-2014-4078 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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