CVE-1999-1399 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
spaceball program in spaceware 7.3 v1.0 in irix 6.2 allows local users to gain root privileges by setting the hostname environmental variable to contain the commands to be executed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-1999-1399 represents a classic privilege escalation flaw that existed in the spaceball program component of SpaceWare 7.3 v1.0 running on IRIX 6.2 operating systems. This issue demonstrates how seemingly innocuous environmental variable handling can lead to critical security breaches when proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms are absent. The spaceball program was designed to handle input from spaceball devices, which are 3D input devices used primarily in computer graphics and CAD applications, but the implementation contained a dangerous flaw in its hostname handling mechanism.
The technical flaw manifests through improper environment variable processing where the hostname environmental variable is directly interpreted without adequate sanitization or validation. When a local user sets the hostname variable to contain malicious commands, these commands are executed with elevated privileges, effectively allowing unprivileged users to execute arbitrary code as the root user. This vulnerability falls under the category of environment variable manipulation attacks and represents a specific instance of CWE-78, which describes improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands, commonly known as OS command injection vulnerabilities. The flaw exploits the trust relationship between the system and its environment variables, where the system assumes that environment variables contain only legitimate data without proper validation checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides local users with complete system compromise through a simple environment variable manipulation technique. Attackers can execute any command with root privileges simply by setting the hostname variable, making this a particularly dangerous flaw for multi-user systems where local access is possible. The vulnerability affects systems running IRIX 6.2 with SpaceWare 7.3 v1.0, which were commonly used in professional graphics and CAD environments. This type of privilege escalation can lead to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, backdoor installation, and persistent access to the compromised system. The attack vector is relatively simple and does not require network access or complex exploitation techniques, making it particularly dangerous in environments where local access is not tightly controlled.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate patching of the affected SpaceWare software, implementing proper environment variable sanitization in all programs that process user-controlled input, and restricting local system access through proper user account management. System administrators should also implement monitoring for unusual hostname changes and consider implementing mandatory access controls to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation. This vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation through environment variable manipulation and command execution. The recommended remediation involves not only applying vendor patches but also implementing comprehensive input validation across all system components that handle environment variables. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in legacy software components and establish proper security awareness training to prevent exploitation of such flaws through social engineering or insider threats.