CVE-1999-1179 in man.sh
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in man.sh CGI script, included in May 1998 issue of SysAdmin Magazine, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-1999-1179 represents a critical security flaw in the man.sh CGI script that was distributed as part of the May 1998 issue of SysAdmin Magazine. This particular vulnerability emerged during a period when CGI scripts were becoming increasingly prevalent in web-based systems, and the security implications of poorly designed scripts were not yet fully understood by the broader security community. The man.sh script was designed to provide manual page access through a web interface, but it contained a fundamental design flaw that allowed for arbitrary command execution.
The technical flaw in the man.sh CGI script stems from improper input validation and command construction within the script's execution flow. When the script processes user input to determine which manual page to display, it fails to properly sanitize or escape the input parameters before incorporating them into system commands. This creates a classic command injection vulnerability where an attacker can append malicious commands to the intended manual page lookup, effectively allowing the web server to execute arbitrary system commands with the privileges of the web server process. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the web server's ability to execute shell commands, bypassing typical web application security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it provides remote attackers with the capability to completely compromise systems running the vulnerable CGI script. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to execute commands such as listing directory contents, reading sensitive files, modifying system configurations, or even establishing reverse shells to maintain persistent access. The vulnerability affects systems where the web server has sufficient privileges to execute system commands, making it particularly dangerous in environments where web servers run with elevated permissions. The attack surface is broad since any system hosting this specific CGI script is potentially vulnerable, regardless of the underlying operating system or web server software, as long as the script remains installed and accessible.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action to address the root cause of the command injection flaw. The most effective immediate solution involves removing or disabling the vulnerable man.sh CGI script from all affected systems, as the script's functionality can typically be replaced with safer alternatives or native web-based documentation systems. System administrators should also implement proper input validation and sanitization for all CGI scripts, ensuring that user-supplied parameters are properly escaped or filtered before being used in system command execution. This vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to security best practices such as the principle of least privilege, where web servers should run with minimal necessary permissions to reduce the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation mechanisms to detect and prevent similar injection attacks, aligning with defensive techniques recommended in the attack mitigation frameworks. The vulnerability serves as a historical example of how seemingly benign scripts can introduce critical security risks when proper security design principles are not followed, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security reviews of all web applications and scripts.