CVE-1999-0806 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Solaris dtprintinfo program.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-1999-0806 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Solaris dtprintinfo program, a component of Oracle Solaris operating systems that handles printer configuration and management tasks. This vulnerability exists in the way the program processes command-line arguments, specifically when handling user-provided input that exceeds the allocated buffer space. The dtprintinfo utility is commonly used to configure printer settings and manage print queues within the Solaris environment, making it a potential target for exploitation by malicious actors seeking to gain unauthorized access to systems. The flaw arises from insufficient input validation and bounds checking mechanisms that fail to properly restrict the length of input data processed by the program's internal buffers.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow vulnerability stems from the program's failure to properly validate the length of command-line arguments passed to it during execution. When an attacker provides a specially crafted input string that exceeds the predetermined buffer limits, the program continues to write data beyond the allocated memory space, potentially overwriting adjacent memory locations including return addresses, function pointers, and other critical program state information. This memory corruption can result in unpredictable program behavior, application crashes, or more severely, allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the executing process. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely or locally, depending on how the program is invoked and whether it runs with elevated privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-1999-0806 extends beyond simple system instability, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to Solaris systems running vulnerable versions of the dtprintinfo utility. Since this utility is part of the standard Solaris distribution and may be invoked with elevated privileges during printer configuration processes, attackers could potentially escalate their privileges to root level access. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Solaris operating systems including versions prior to 2.6, making it a widespread concern for organizations maintaining legacy systems. Network-based exploitation becomes possible when the vulnerable program is accessible through network services or when it is executed in contexts where untrusted input can be provided by remote users. This type of vulnerability directly relates to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-1999-0806 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Solaris systems with the appropriate security updates provided by Oracle. Organizations should also implement input validation measures to prevent overly long command-line arguments from being processed by the dtprintinfo utility. System administrators should consider restricting execution privileges for the program and implementing proper access controls to limit who can invoke it with potentially malicious input. Additional defensive measures include monitoring for unusual command-line argument patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper buffer management and input validation in preventing memory corruption attacks, and serves as a historical example of how seemingly minor implementation flaws can result in significant security risks. Organizations should also consider migrating to modern operating systems and security frameworks that implement more robust memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and data execution prevention to reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation attempts.