dbcve.org
CfingerdApplication · Infodrom

CVE-1999-0259

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 1997-05-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
cfingerd lists all users on a system via search.**@target.

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 · low confidence

cfingerd (a finger daemon) contains a vulnerability that allows remote attackers to enumerate all user accounts on a system by sending a specially crafted query using the syntax 'search.**@target'. This reveals a complete list of valid usernames, which can then be used for further attacks.

MitigationDisable the cfingerd service if not required, or update/patch to a version that fixes this user enumeration issue. If finger service is needed, restrict access via firewall to trusted hosts only.

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
CfingerdApplication
Affected:= 1.2.2

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if cfingerd is installed
    Check for the cfingerd binary or package: look for /usr/sbin/cfingerd, /usr/bin/cfingerd, or run 'which cfingerd' and 'dpkg -l | grep cfingerd' or 'rpm -qa | grep cfingerd'
    Affected if cfingerd package or binary exists on the system
  2. Determine cfingerd version
    Run 'cfingerd -v' or 'cfingerd -version' to obtain the installed version number
    Affected if version is Infodrom Cfingerd 1.2.2
  3. Check if finger service is running
    Verify if the finger daemon is listening on port 79: run 'netstat -an | grep :79' or 'ss -an | grep :79' or check for process 'fingerd'
    Affected if finger service is listening on network port 79 (0.0.0.0:79 or :::79)
  4. Verify the enumeration vulnerability
    Send a finger query with the syntax 'search.**@localhost' or 'search.**@127.0.0.1' to port 79 (e.g., using 'echo "search.**" | nc localhost 79')
    Affected if the query returns a complete list of usernames instead of a standard finger response or access denied

A system is affected if Infodrom Cfingerd version 1.2.2 is installed and the finger service is running and accessible, allowing the 'search.**@target' query to enumerate all user accounts.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable the cfingerd service if not required, or update/patch to a version that fixes this user enumeration issue. If finger service is needed, restrict access via firewall to trusted hosts only.

Fix this in Cfingerd Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-1999-0259 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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