CVE-1999-0899
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 Windows NT 4.0 print spooler allows a local user to execute arbitrary commands due to inappropriate permissions that allow the user to specify an alternate print provider.
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 confidenceWindows NT 4.0 print spooler contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where insecure file system permissions on print spooler components allow a local authenticated user to specify an alternate malicious print provider, resulting in arbitrary command execution with elevated system 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= 4.0CVSS 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
- 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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Verify the operating system versionRun 'winmsd' or check System Properties to confirm the OS is Windows NT 4.0Affected if The system is NOT Windows NT 4.0, then this specific CVE does not apply
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Confirm the Print Spooler service is runningOpen Control Panel > Services or run 'net start' and look for 'Print Spooler'Affected if The Print Spooler service is not present or not running, the attack surface does not exist
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Check file permissions on the print spooler executableUse File Manager or a command line tool to view permissions on %SystemRoot%\System32\spoolsv.exe - look for whether non-admin users have Write or Full Control permissionsAffected if Non-administrative users have Write or Full Control permissions on spoolsv.exe, they can replace it with malicious code
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Examine permissions on print provider registry keysUse regedt32.exe to view permissions on HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Providers - check if non-admin users can modify print provider configurationAffected if Non-administrative users have Write or Modify access to the Print\Providers registry subtree, they can configure a malicious print provider
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Review current print provider configurationUse regedt32.exe to inspect HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers and the Providers subkey for any unexpected or unauthorized print providersAffected if A non-standard or unauthorized print provider is configured, indicating potential exploitation
A system is affected if it is Windows NT 4.0 with the Print Spooler service running AND non-administrative users have write access to print spooler executables or the print provider registry configuration.
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 dataRestrict permissions on print spooler executable files and registry keys to prevent non-administrative users from modifying print provider configuration; ideally disable the print spooler service if printing is not required.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-1999-0899 — 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-1999-0899 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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