FreeBSDOperating system
CVE-1999-0023
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 · uneditedLocal user gains root privileges via buffer overflow in rdist, via lookup() function.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in the rdist utility's lookup() function allows a local authenticated user to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by overflowing a buffer in the lookup() function.
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
FreeBSDOperating system
= 2.0= 2.0.5= 2.1.0= 2.2= 5.01= 6.01all versions= 3.2= 4.1= 4.2= 1.0= 2.0= 3.0= 2.0= 5.0= 5.0.2= 1.2.0= 1.2.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/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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Locate the rdist binaryRun 'which rdist' or 'find /usr -name rdist -type f 2>/dev/null' to find if the rdist utility is installed on the systemAffected if If rdist binary is found on the system, proceed to version check; if not found, the system is likely not affected by this specific vulnerability since the utility is not present
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Determine rdist versionRun 'rdist -V' or 'rdist -v' to display the version information of the installed rdist binaryAffected if Compare the displayed version against the affected ranges: FreeBSD 2.0, 2.0.5, 2.1.0, 2.2; Inet 5.01, 6.01; Bsdi Bsd Os all versions; Ibm Aix 3.2, 4.1, 4.2; Sco Internet Faststart 1.0; Sco Open Desktop 2.0, 3.0; Sco Openserver 2.0, 5.0, 5.0.2; Sco Tcp Ip 1.2.0, 1.2.1. If the version matches one of t
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Verify lookup function usageThe vulnerability exists in the lookup() function which is invoked when rdist parses its command files (distfiles) to resolve hostnames and file paths. Inspect any rdist command files (typically named 'Distfile' or similar) in use on the systemAffected if If rdist is installed and being used with command files, the lookup() function is automatically triggered during rdist execution, making the buffer overflow exploitable if the version is affected
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Check for local user access to rdistVerify if any local authenticated users have access to execute rdist by checking file permissions (ls -la /usr/bin/rdist or similar path) and reviewing sudo configurations if rdist requires elevated privilegesAffected if If local users can execute rdist, they can potentially exploit the buffer overflow in lookup() to execute arbitrary code with root privileges as described in the CVE
The system is affected if rdist is installed and matches any of the specific versions listed (or any version of Bsdi Bsd Os), and local authenticated users have access to execute it, since the lookup() function vulnerability is triggered during normal rdist operation.
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 dataUpdate rdist to the latest patched version, or if rdist is not required, remove it entirely from systems. Apply vendor patches as available.
Fix this in FreeBSD
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0023 — 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-1999-0023 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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