CVE-1999-0748 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflows in Red Hat net-tools package.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-1999-0748 represents a critical buffer overflow issue affecting the net-tools package distributed by Red Hat during the late 1990s era. This package contained essential network administration utilities that were fundamental to system operations across various unix and linux platforms. The buffer overflow conditions occurred within multiple network utility programs that processed user input without adequate bounds checking, creating exploitable conditions that could be leveraged by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code or cause system crashes. These vulnerabilities were particularly concerning given the widespread adoption of red hat linux distributions and the critical nature of network utilities in system administration tasks. The flaw was categorized under common weakness enumeration as CWE-121, representing heap-based buffer overflow conditions that could be triggered through malformed input processing in network command line tools.
The technical implementation of these buffer overflows involved insufficient validation of input parameters passed to network utilities such as netstat, ifconfig, and other related command line tools. When these programs received input data exceeding predetermined buffer sizes, the excess data would overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow or injecting malicious code. The vulnerability exploited the fundamental lack of input sanitization in these network administration tools, where character arrays were allocated with fixed sizes but not properly validated against actual input lengths. Attackers could craft specially formatted input strings that would cause the buffer to overflow, leading to unpredictable program behavior and potential privilege escalation opportunities. This issue directly aligns with the attack pattern taxonomy under ATT&CK framework domain of privilege escalation through software vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-1999-0748 was substantial across enterprise and server environments that relied on red hat linux systems for network management. System administrators using these vulnerable network tools faced significant risk of unauthorized access when processing network information or executing commands through potentially compromised interfaces. The vulnerability could be exploited remotely through network services that utilized these tools or locally through privilege escalation scenarios. Organizations running affected systems experienced potential denial of service conditions and security breaches that could compromise entire network infrastructures. The widespread deployment of red hat linux distributions meant that numerous systems across different sectors were potentially exposed to these buffer overflow conditions, creating cascading security implications for network operations and system integrity.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-1999-0748 required immediate patching of the affected net-tools package versions through red hat security updates. System administrators needed to implement comprehensive network monitoring to detect exploitation attempts and ensure proper input validation in all network utility usage. The recommended approach involved upgrading to patched versions of the net-tools package that included proper bounds checking and memory allocation safeguards. Organizations should have implemented network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable network utilities, while also establishing regular vulnerability assessment procedures to identify similar issues in other system components. Additionally, the incident highlighted the importance of secure coding practices and input validation in system utilities, leading to broader improvements in software security standards across the linux ecosystem and influencing future development practices in network administration tools.