CVE-1999-0426
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 default permissions of /dev/kmem in Linux versions before 2.0.36 allows IP spoofing.
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 confidenceLinux kernel versions before 2.0.36 had overly permissive default permissions on /dev/kmem, a device file that provides direct access to kernel memory. This allowed local users to read kernel memory and potentially forge source IP addresses in network packets, enabling IP spoofing attacks.
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= 6.0CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check kernel versionRun 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to determine the installed Linux kernel versionAffected if The version is before 2.0.36 (e.g., 2.0.35, 2.0.34, etc.)
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Verify /dev/kmem existsRun 'ls -l /dev/kmem' to confirm the device file is present on the systemAffected if The file exists and is accessible
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Inspect /dev/kmem permissionsRun 'ls -l /dev/kmem' and check the file permissions (e.g., 'crw-rw-rw-')Affected if Permissions are overly permissive (world-readable or world-writable, such as crw-rw-rw- or crw-----rw-)
A system is affected if it runs a Linux kernel version before 2.0.36 AND has /dev/kmem with permissive access (world-readable or writable), allowing unprivileged local users to read kernel memory.
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.
dbcve · scopedRestrict permissions on /dev/kmem (e.g., chmod 400 /dev/kmem) or remove the device if not required. Upgrade to Linux kernel 2.0.36 or later which fixed the default permissions.
Suse Linux 6.0 -> Any modern Linux distribution (Suse Enterprise Linux 15.x, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Debian 12)
- Replace Suse Linux 6.0 with a modern, actively maintained Linux distribution (e.g., a recent Ubuntu LTS, Debian stable, or Suse Enterprise Linux current version)
- If replacing the entire system is not feasible, upgrade the Linux kernel to version 2.0.36 or later, which addresses the /dev/kmem permission vulnerability
- After kernel upgrade, verify /dev/kmem permissions are restrictive (should not be world-readable: run 'ls -l /dev/kmem' and confirm mode does not grant read access to all users)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- 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-1999-0426 — 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-1999-0426 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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