Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-1999-1225
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 · uneditedrpc.mountd on Linux, Ultrix, and possibly other operating systems, allows remote attackers to determine the existence of a file on the server by attempting to mount that file, which generates different error messages depending on whether the file exists or not.
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 confidencerpc.mountd on Linux and Ultrix systems leaks file existence information through distinct error messages. When an attacker attempts to mount a file path, the daemon returns different responses depending on whether the target file exists, enabling remote reconnaissance to discover valid file paths on the server.
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
Linux KernelOperating system
= 2.6.20.1all versions= 2.0.4all versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 rpc.mountd is runningRun 'ps aux | grep mountd' or 'rpcinfo -p' to list active RPC services and check if mountd is presentAffected if rpc.mountd process is active and listening on RPC ports
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Confirm NFS server is enabledCheck for NFS exports with 'cat /etc/exports' on Linux/Unix systems, or check registry/ervices for NFS service status on older systemsAffected if NFS server is enabled and exporting directories
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Test mountd error response behaviorAttempt to mount a non-existent path (e.g., 'showmount -e targethost /nonexistent_path') versus an exported path and compare the error messages for differencesAffected if The daemon returns measurably different error messages or responses based on whether the target file path exists on the server
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Check the NFS server versionUse 'rpc.mountd --version' if available, or check the operating system version with 'uname -a' or 'cat /proc/version'Affected if The system runs Linux Kernel 2.6.20.1, NetBSD 2.0.4, any OpenBSD version, any Digital Ultrix version, or any Sun Solaris version with rpc.mountd enabled
A system is affected if it runs rpc.mountd with NFS enabled and exhibits different error messages when attempting to access existing versus non-existing file paths, particularly on the listed affected versions.
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 vendor patches for rpc.mountd, upgrade to current NFS server implementations, or restrict access to mountd via firewall rules to trusted networks only.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-1225 — 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-1999-1225 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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