IBM AIX 4.3 automountd Service memory corruption

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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9.5$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in IBM AIX 4.3. It has been classified as critical. This impacts an unknown function of the component automountd Service. The manipulation leads to memory corruption. This vulnerability is listed as CVE-1999-0088. There is no available exploit. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in IBM AIX 4.3 (Operating System) and classified as very critical. This issue affects an unknown code block of the component automountd Service. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory corruption vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-119. The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it can read from or write to a memory location that is outside of the intended boundary of the buffer. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

IRIX and AIX automountd services (autofsd) allow remote users to execute root commands.

The issue has been introduced in 10/01/1997. The weakness was presented 10/26/1998 by Mark Zielinski (Website). It is possible to read the advisory at www-1.ibm.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-1999-0088. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 10/27/2025). It is expected to see the exploit prices for this product decreasing in the near future.

The vulnerability was handled as a non-public zero-day exploit for at least 390 days. During that time the estimated underground price was around $5k-$25k. The commercial vulnerability scanner Qualys is able to test this issue with plugin 66038 (autofsd rpc service remote exploit).

Upgrading eliminates this vulnerability. Attack attempts may be identified with Snort ID 576. Furthermore it is possible to detect and prevent this kind of attack with TippingPoint and the filter 617.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at X-Force (1391), SecurityFocus (BID 332†) and Vulnerability Center (SBV-4525†). See VDB-14245 for similar entry. Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 10.0
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5

VulDB Base Score: 10.0
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Memory corruption
CWE: CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

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Qualys ID: 🔍
Qualys Name: 🔍

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍
Snort ID: 576
Snort Message: PROTOCOL-RPC portmap amountd request UDP
Snort Class: 🔍
TippingPoint: 🔍

McAfee IPS: 🔍
McAfee IPS Version: 🔍

SourceFire IPS: 🔍
ISS Proventia IPS: 🔍

Timelineinfo

10/01/1997 🔍
10/21/1998 +385 days 🔍
10/21/1998 +0 days 🔍
10/26/1998 +5 days 🔍
10/26/1998 +0 days 🔍
06/15/2004 +2059 days 🔍
06/19/2014 +3656 days 🔍
10/27/2025 +4148 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: ibm.com

Advisory: www-1.ibm.com
Researcher: Mark Zielinski
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-1999-0088 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-1999-0088
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-14243
X-Force: 1391
SecurityFocus: 332 - Multiple Vendor Autofsd Vulnerability
Vulnerability Center: 4525 - AutofSD Daemon in IRIX and AIX Allows Execution of Root Commands, Critical

See also: 🔍

Entryinfo

Created: 06/19/2014 17:52
Updated: 10/27/2025 20:00
Changes: 06/19/2014 17:52 (67), 05/22/2019 10:30 (4), 10/27/2025 20:00 (19)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216:661:103

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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