dbcve.org
IrixOperating system · Sgi

CVE-1999-0413

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 1999-03-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A buffer overflow in the SGI X server allows local users to gain root access through the X server font path.

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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in SGI X server's font path handling allows local users to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by exploiting the overflow through manipulated font paths.

MitigationApply vendor patches for SGI IRIX X server; if patches unavailable, restrict local access to X server and remove unnecessary font path configurations. Consider migrating from legacy SGI systems as no modern support exists.

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
IrixOperating system
Affected:= 5.3= 6.2= 6.3= 6.4= 6.5

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the operating system version
    Run 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/issue' to confirm the system is SGI IRIX and note the exact version number
    Affected if The system is running SGI IRIX version 5.3, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, or 6.5
  2. Determine if the X server is installed
    Check for the presence of X server binaries or packages on the system using standard system inventory commands
    Affected if The X server software is installed on the vulnerable IRIX version
  3. Verify if the X server is running
    Check for running X server processes using process listing commands such as 'ps -ef'
    Affected if The X server process is actively running
  4. Examine font path configuration
    Query the X server font path configuration using X server management tools or configuration files
    Affected if Font paths are configured and loaded by the X server; manipulated font paths are the exploitation vector

A user is affected if running SGI IRIX 5.3, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, or 6.5 with the X server running and font path configurations loaded, allowing a local attacker to exploit the buffer overflow through malicious font paths.

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

Apply vendor patches for SGI IRIX X server; if patches unavailable, restrict local access to X server and remove unnecessary font path configurations. Consider migrating from legacy SGI systems as no modern support exists.

Fix this in Irix Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-1999-0413 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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