NetkitApplication · Debian
CVE-1999-0048
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 · uneditedTalkd, when given corrupt DNS information, can be used to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.
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 talkd daemon (talk protocol server) contains a vulnerability where processing corrupt or malicious DNS information allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. This is a classic input validation failure in the DNS resolution handling of the talk service.
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
NetkitApplication
= 0.07= 3.1= 4.1= 4.2all versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/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.
-
Check if talkd package is installedOn Debian systems, run 'dpkg -l | grep netkit-talk' or 'dpkg -l | grep talkd' to list installed talk-related packages. On AIX, run 'lslpp -l | grep talk'. On NEC systems, check with the appropriate package manager.Affected if The package is installed and the version matches one of the affected versions (Debian Netkit 0.07, AIX 3.1/4.1/4.2, or any NEC ASL/UX/EWS/UP version)
-
Verify if talkd daemon is runningRun 'ps -ef | grep talkd' or 'ps aux | grep talk' to check for running talk daemon processes. Also check with 'service talkd status' or '/etc/init.d/talkd status' depending on the system.Affected if The talkd process is actively running on the system
-
Check for listening portsRun 'netstat -anp | grep -E "(517|518)"' or 'ss -anp | grep -E "(517|518)"' to check if the system is listening on UDP ports 517 or 518 (the talk protocol ports).Affected if UDP ports 517 or 518 are open and listening
-
Identify the talkd versionFor Debian Netkit, check the version with 'dpkg -s netkit-talk' or review the binary version with 'talkd --version' if available. For AIX, use 'lslpp -ah' to see installed talk file sets with their version levels.Affected if The installed version equals 0.07 (Debian Netkit), 3.1, 4.1, or 4.2 (AIX), or any version on NEC ASL/UX/EWS/UP systems
The system is affected if the talkd package is installed from the affected versions and the daemon is actively running or listening on talk protocol ports.
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 the talkd service if not needed (recommended, as the talk protocol is obsolete), or apply the appropriate vendor patch from the era (1999). Network-level filtering of UDP port 517-518 (talk protocol ports) provides an additional defense layer.
Fix this in Netkit
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0048 — 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-1999-0048 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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