CVE-2000-0207 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
SGI InfoSearch CGI program infosrch.cgi allows remote attackers to execute commands via shell metacharacters.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2025
The CVE-2000-0207 vulnerability represents a critical command injection flaw in the SGI InfoSearch CGI program, specifically within the infosrch.cgi component. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the web application's processing of user-supplied data. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system by injecting shell metacharacters into the application's input parameters. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-77 as a Command Injection weakness, which occurs when a program constructs a system command using externally-influenced input without proper validation or sanitization. This particular vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of proper input filtering that allows attackers to manipulate the command execution flow of the underlying operating system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the infosrch.cgi script processes user input through HTTP parameters without adequate sanitization of special shell characters such as semicolons, ampersands, or backticks. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing these metacharacters, the CGI program passes this unvalidated data directly to the shell for execution, effectively allowing the attacker to inject and execute arbitrary commands on the target system. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can enable attackers to gain full system control, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected server. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of CGI security flaws and shell injection techniques, representing a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture that allows privilege escalation from web application level to system level execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2000-0207 extends far beyond simple data theft or service disruption. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute commands with the privileges of the web server process, which typically runs with elevated permissions. This vulnerability can be leveraged to establish persistent backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, modify system configurations, or launch further attacks against internal network resources. The vulnerability affects SGI systems running InfoSearch software, which was commonly deployed in enterprise environments for document search and retrieval services. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: Shell Script) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation), highlighting the attack vectors and techniques that adversaries can employ. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by its remote exploitability, meaning attackers can leverage it from outside the network perimeter without requiring local access or credentials.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening. The primary solution involves patching the affected SGI InfoSearch software to implement proper input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied data before processing. Organizations should implement comprehensive input filtering that removes or encodes special shell metacharacters from all incoming parameters. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced by running the CGI application with minimal required permissions, limiting the potential damage from successful exploitation. Network segmentation and firewall rules can help restrict access to the vulnerable service, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect suspicious command execution patterns. Security professionals should also consider implementing web application firewalls to filter out malicious payloads targeting known injection patterns. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of input validation in web applications and the potential catastrophic consequences of inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data, particularly in CGI-based systems where direct system command execution is possible.