CVE-1999-0767
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in Solaris libc, ufsrestore, and rcp via LC_MESSAGES environmental variable.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Solaris systems affecting the C library (libc), ufsrestore utility, and rcp command. The vulnerability is triggered through manipulation of the LC_MESSAGES environment variable, potentially allowing local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
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= 2.6= 7.0all versions= 5.7CVSS 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 Solaris or SunOS versionRun `uname -a` and check for SunOS/Solaris version numbers. For Solaris, check `/etc/release` if available.Affected if The version matches Solaris 2.6, Solaris 7.0, SunOS 5.7, or any SunOS version.
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Locate the ufsrestore binaryRun `which ufsrestore` or `find /usr -name ufsrestore 2>/dev/null` to locate the binary.Affected if The ufsrestore binary exists on the system and is executable in a privileged context (e.g., setuid root).
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Locate the rcp binaryRun `which rcp` or check `/usr/bin/rcp` to locate the binary.Affected if The rcp binary exists and may be invoked with elevated privileges.
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Check for LC_MESSAGES environment variable usageCheck if the environment variable LC_MESSAGES can be set and inherited by privileged programs. Look for scripts or cron jobs that run privileged commands without sanitizing environment variables.Affected if Privileged programs or scripts allow the LC_MESSAGES environment variable to be passed through without sanitization.
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Verify libc version if accessibleRun `ldd /bin/sh` or check `/lib/libc.so.1` version information if available on the system.Affected if The linked libc library corresponds to the vulnerable Solaris 2.6, 7.0, or SunOS 5.7 releases.
A system is affected if it runs SunOS or Solaris versions 2.6, 7.0, 5.7, or any SunOS version, and uses the ufsrestore or rcp utilities in contexts where the LC_MESSAGES environment variable can be manipulated.
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 dataApply Oracle/Sun patches for Solaris or upgrade to a supported Solaris release; restrict or sanitize the LC_MESSAGES environment variable in privileged contexts.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-0767 — 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-1999-0767 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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