CVE-1999-1244
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 · uneditedIPFilter 3.2.3 through 3.2.10 allows local users to modify arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the saved output file.
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 confidenceIPFilter versions 3.2.3-3.2.10 has a symlink vulnerability where the program writes output to a predictable file path without checking if it's a symlink. A local attacker can create a symlink at that path pointing to a sensitive file (e.g., /etc/passwd), causing IPFilter to overwrite that file when it runs.
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= 3.2.3= 3.2.4= 3.2.5= 3.2.6= 3.2.7= 3.2.8= 3.2.9= 3.2.10CVSS 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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Check IPFilter versionRun 'ipf -V' or 'ipf --version' to display the installed IPFilter version. On some systems, check the package manager (e.g., 'rpm -q ipfilter' or 'dpkg -l ipfilter')Affected if The version displayed is 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 3.2.5, 3.2.6, 3.2.7, 3.2.8, 3.2.9, or 3.2.10
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Locate IPFilter output file pathExamine IPFilter configuration files (typically in /etc/ipf or /etc/ipfilter) and any scripts that invoke IPFilter to identify where output files are writtenAffected if IPFilter is configured to write output to a file in a world-writable directory (e.g., /tmp, /var/tmp) or a location where unprivileged users can create symlinks
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Check for existing symlinks at output pathUse 'ls -la <output_path>' to see if the target file is a symbolic link. Also use 'readlink -f <output_path>' to resolve the linkAffected if The output file path resolves to a different file via symlink, indicating potential exploitation or attempt
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Verify file permissions on output directoryCheck directory permissions with 'ls -ld <directory>' where the output file resides. Ensure directories like /tmp are not sticky-bit protected or restrictedAffected if The directory allows unprivileged users to create files or symlinks in the path where IPFilter writes output
You are affected if IPFilter version is between 3.2.3 and 3.2.10 inclusive AND it writes output to a file path in a directory where local users can create symlinks.
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 dataReplace the output file write operations with symlink-safe methods (e.g., open() with O_NOFOLLOW flag, or use link() after atomic rename) to prevent following symlinks. Alternatively, check if the target exists as a symlink before writing.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-1244 — 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-1999-1244 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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