dbcve.org
SolarisOperating system · Sun

CVE-1999-0952

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 1999-01-28
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
Buffer overflow in Solaris lpstat via class argument allows local users to 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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the lpstat command on Solaris systems allows local authenticated users to escalate privileges to root by exploiting a specially crafted class argument.

MitigationApply the appropriate Solaris security patch for lpstat from Oracle's security patch database, or upgrade to a patched Solaris version. Limit local user access and follow least-privilege principles as compensating controls.

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
SolarisOperating system
Affected:= 2.6
SunosOperating system
Affected:= 5.7

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 Solaris version
    Run `uname -a` or `cat /etc/release` to determine the exact OS version
    Affected if The system is running SunOS 5.6 (Solaris 2.6) or SunOS 5.7 (Solaris 7)
  2. Locate the lpstat binary
    Run `which lpstat` or `ls -la /usr/bin/lpstat` to verify the lpstat command is installed
    Affected if The lpstat binary exists on the system
  3. Check the lpstat version
    Run `lpstat -V` or check the package version with `pkginfo -l SUNWpslpr`
    Affected if The installed lpstat version corresponds to the unpatched Solaris 2.6 or 5.7 release
  4. Identify local user accounts
    Check for non-privileged local users with `getent passwd` or `cat /etc/passwd`
    Affected if Untrusted local authenticated users exist on the system who could exploit this vulnerability
  5. Verify class argument functionality
    Attempt to invoke lpstat with a class argument (e.g., `lpstat -c <classname>`) to confirm the vulnerable code path is present
    Affected if The lpstat command accepts class arguments without crashing or producing an error indicating the issue is patched

A system is affected if it runs Solaris 2.6 or SunOS 5.7 (Solaris 7) with the lpstat binary present and untrusted local users have authenticated access to execute the vulnerable command.

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 the appropriate Solaris security patch for lpstat from Oracle's security patch database, or upgrade to a patched Solaris version. Limit local user access and follow least-privilege principles as compensating controls.

Fix this in Solaris Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-1999-0952 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
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