CVE-1999-0369
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 Sun sdtcm_convert calendar utility for OpenWindows has a buffer overflow which can gain root access.
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 · moderate confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability in Sun's sdtcm_convert calendar utility for OpenWindows allows local or remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by overflowing a buffer in the calendar conversion utility.
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 dataall versions= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 2.4= 2.5all versions= 4.1.3= 4.1.4= 5.0= 5.1= 5.2= 5.3= 5.4= 5.5= 5.5.1CVSS 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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Identify the operating systemRun 'uname -a' or check /etc/release to determine if the system is SunOS or Sun SolarisAffected if The system is running SunOS (versions 4.1.3 through 5.5.1) or Sun Solaris (versions 1.1.3 through 2.5), as these are the affected platforms listed in the CVE
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Locate the sdtcm_convert binarySearch for the sdtcm_convert executable using 'find / -name sdtcm_convert -type f 2>/dev/null' or check common paths such as /usr/openwin/bin/, /usr/bin/, and /usr/local/bin/Affected if The sdtcm_convert binary exists on the system, as this is the vulnerable component
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Verify OpenWindows installationCheck for OpenWindows installation by looking for /usr/openwin directory or running 'pkginfo | grep -i openwin' if package system is availableAffected if OpenWindows is installed, as sdtcm_convert is bundled with this environment and the calendar conversion feature is present
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Assess accessibility of the calendar conversion featureDetermine if the sdtcm_convert utility is accessible to users (check world-readable/executable permissions) or if it can be invoked remotelyAffected if The utility is accessible to non-privileged local or remote users, as the CVE states attackers can exploit this remotely or locally
If the system runs a legacy SunOS or Sun Solaris version AND has the sdtcm_convert binary from OpenWindows present, the environment is likely affected by this buffer overflow vulnerability that can grant root privileges.
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 dataIdentify and remove the sdtcm_convert utility and OpenWindows environment if still present, as this is extremely legacy software from 1999. If the functionality is required, migrate to modern calendar solutions. Apply any vendor patches if available and feasible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0369 — 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-1999-0369 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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