CVE-2000-0290 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in version 4.0 of the Webstar HTTP server, a web server product developed by 4D. The vulnerability arises from a buffer overflow condition triggered by processing an excessively long HTTP GET request. Specifically, the server fails to properly validate or limit the length of the GET request, allowing a remote attacker to send a specially crafted, overly long URL that overflows the buffer allocated for request handling. This overflow can cause the server process to crash, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity directly, as it does not allow code execution or data leakage, but it impacts availability by disrupting the web server's operation. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication or user interaction, making it accessible to any attacker capable of sending HTTP requests to the affected server. No patch is available for this vulnerability, and there are no known exploits in the wild, likely due to the age of the product and the vulnerability. However, the risk remains for legacy systems still running Webstar HTTP server version 4.0. Given the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P, the attack complexity is low, no privileges are required, and the impact is limited to availability.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential disruption of web services hosted on Webstar HTTP server version 4.0. Organizations relying on this legacy server could experience downtime or service interruptions if targeted by a denial of service attack exploiting this buffer overflow. This could affect business continuity, customer trust, and operational efficiency, especially for organizations providing critical or customer-facing web services. Since the vulnerability does not allow data compromise or unauthorized access, the risk to sensitive information is minimal. However, the unavailability of web services could indirectly impact compliance with service-level agreements (SLAs) and regulatory requirements related to uptime and availability. The lack of a patch means organizations must rely on alternative mitigation strategies or consider migrating away from the vulnerable server software. Given the age of the vulnerability and product, the impact is likely limited to niche environments or legacy systems still in operation within European entities.

Since no official patch is available for CVE-2000-0290, European organizations should prioritize the following mitigation strategies: 1) Immediate identification and inventory of any systems running Webstar HTTP server version 4.0 to assess exposure. 2) If possible, upgrade or migrate to a modern, supported web server platform that does not contain this vulnerability. 3) Implement network-level protections such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or intrusion prevention systems (IPS) configured to detect and block abnormally long HTTP GET requests or malformed traffic patterns targeting the web server. 4) Employ rate limiting and connection throttling to reduce the risk of denial of service attacks. 5) Restrict access to the vulnerable server to trusted networks or VPNs where feasible, limiting exposure to external attackers. 6) Monitor server logs and network traffic for unusual request patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 7) Develop incident response plans to quickly recover from potential DoS events affecting web services. These practical steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on compensating controls and proactive detection tailored to the specific nature of this buffer overflow vulnerability.