CVE-1999-1422
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 default configuration of Slackware 3.4, and possibly other versions, includes . (dot, the current directory) in the PATH environmental variable, which could allow local users to create Trojan horse programs that are inadvertently executed by other users.
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 confidenceThe default Slackware 3.4 configuration includes '.' (current directory) in the PATH environment variable, causing the shell to search the current working directory for executables before system directories. A local attacker can place trojan horse programs with common command names (e.g., 'ls', 'cat') in a directory; when other users navigate to that directory and run commands, they inadvertently execute the attacker's code with their own 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= 2.0.35= 3.4CVSS 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 current shell PATH for dotRun 'echo $PATH' or 'echo $path' (csh/tcsh) and inspect the output for a leading or embedded '.' characterAffected if The PATH contains '.' as a directory entry, especially at the beginning or before system directories like /bin or /usr/bin
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Inspect /etc/profile for dot in PATHExamine /etc/profile with 'grep -n PATH /etc/profile' or view the file directly to see if PATH includes '.'Affected if The file defines PATH and includes '.' in any PATH assignment
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Inspect /etc/bashrc for dot in PATHExamine /etc/bashrc with 'grep -n PATH /etc/bashrc' or view the file to check for PATH definitions containing '.'Affected if The file defines PATH and includes '.' in any PATH assignment
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Inspect /etc/profile.d/ scripts for dot in PATHList files in /etc/profile.d/ with 'ls -la /etc/profile.d/' and then grep each for PATH definitions containing '.' using 'grep -r PATH /etc/profile.d/'Affected if Any shell script in /etc/profile.d/ sets PATH and includes '.' in that definition
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Check user shell initialization files for dot in PATHExamine ~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_profile, ~/.profile, ~/.cshrc, ~/.login for PATH variables containing '.' using 'grep -r "PATH=.*\." ~' or manually review each fileAffected if Any user initialization file sets PATH and includes '.'
The environment is affected if '.' appears anywhere in the PATH variable, as this allows attacker-controlled executables in the current directory to be run instead of system commands.
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 dataRemove '.' from all PATH definitions in system configuration files (/etc/profile, /etc/bashrc, /etc/profile.d/*) and user shell initialization files, then ensure users source updated configurations or log out/in. This eliminates the ability to inadvertently execute attacker-controlled programs from any directory.
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- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-1422 — 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-1999-1422 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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