CVE-1999-1070 in Annex Terminal
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in ping CGI program in Xylogics Annex terminal service allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long query parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-1999-1070 represents a classic buffer overflow flaw within the ping CGI program component of Xylogics Annex terminal service software. This specific implementation weakness resides in how the system processes query parameters submitted through web-based interfaces, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to disrupt service availability. The Xylogics Annex terminal service was designed to provide remote access and management capabilities for network devices, making it a critical component in enterprise networking environments where continuous availability was paramount for business operations.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking within the CGI script responsible for handling ping requests. When a remote attacker submits a query parameter exceeding the allocated buffer size, the program fails to properly terminate or truncate the input data, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten. This memory corruption typically occurs in the stack-based buffer allocation where the CGI program expects a specific length of input but receives data that surpasses predefined limits. The vulnerability specifically affects the handling of query parameters, suggesting that the issue manifests when the web server processes user-supplied data through the ping functionality, which is commonly used for network diagnostics and connectivity verification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it represents a fundamental security weakness that could potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges within the affected system. Network administrators and security professionals recognized this as a significant risk because the ping functionality was often exposed to untrusted network zones, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to compromise network infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access or local credentials to initiate the attack, significantly expanding the attack surface and potential impact. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-121 which describes heap-based and stack-based buffer overflow conditions, while the ATT&CK framework would categorize this under initial access and privilege escalation tactics.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-1999-1070 typically involve implementing proper input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within the affected CGI programs, along with applying security patches provided by Xylogics or implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious query parameters. Organizations should also consider implementing rate limiting and access controls to restrict the exposure of vulnerable web interfaces to untrusted networks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices in web applications and demonstrates how seemingly benign functionality like network diagnostics can become a critical security risk when proper input validation is not implemented. Regular security assessments and penetration testing of web applications remain essential for identifying similar buffer overflow vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited for more severe attacks beyond simple denial of service conditions.