Eric Allman Sendmail 8.10.0 ETRN Command denial of service

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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CTI Interest Score
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4.8$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Eric Allman Sendmail 8.10.0. It has been classified as problematic. This affects an unknown part of the component ETRN Command Handler. The manipulation leads to denial of service. This vulnerability is listed as CVE-1999-1109. In addition, an exploit is available. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Eric Allman Sendmail 8.10.0 (Mail Server Software). It has been rated as problematic. This issue affects an unknown code block of the component ETRN Command Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a denial of service vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-404. The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use. Impacted is availability. The summary by CVE is:

Sendmail before 8.10.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by sending a series of ETRN commands then disconnecting from the server, while Sendmail continues to process the commands after the connection has been terminated.

The weakness was presented 12/22/1999 by Michal Zalewski (FIRST) as not defined posting (Bugtraq). It is possible to read the advisory at marc.theaimsgroup.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-1999-1109. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details are unknown but a public exploit is available.

The exploit is available at exploit-db.com. It is declared as proof-of-concept. The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 11350 (Sendmail Crafted ETRN Commands Remote DoS), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment. It is assigned to the family SMTP problems. The commercial vulnerability scanner Qualys is able to test this issue with plugin 74040 (Sendmail ETRN Command Denial of Service Vulnerability).

Upgrading to version 8.10.1 eliminates this vulnerability. A possible mitigation has been published 4 months after the disclosure of the vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at X-Force (7760), Exploit-DB (19701), Tenable (11350), SecurityFocus (BID 904†) and Vulnerability Center (SBV-1210†). 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: 🔍
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CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.3
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 4.8

VulDB Base Score: 5.3
VulDB Temp Score: 4.8
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
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Exploitinginfo

Class: Denial of service
CWE: CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔍
Access: Public
Status: Proof-of-Concept
Download: 🔍

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EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
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Nessus ID: 11350
Nessus Name: Sendmail Crafted ETRN Commands Remote DoS
Nessus File: 🔍
Nessus Risk: 🔍
Nessus Family: 🔍

OpenVAS ID: 11350
OpenVAS Name: Sendmail ETRN command DOS
OpenVAS File: 🔍
OpenVAS Family: 🔍

Qualys ID: 🔍
Qualys Name: 🔍

Exploit-DB: 🔍

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
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Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

Reaction Time: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔍
Exposure Time: 🔍

Upgrade: Sendmail 8.10.1
McAfee IPS: 🔍
McAfee IPS Version: 🔍

Timelineinfo

12/22/1999 🔍
12/22/1999 +0 days 🔍
12/22/1999 +0 days 🔍
12/22/1999 +0 days 🔍
04/06/2000 +106 days 🔍
03/11/2003 +1069 days 🔍
06/17/2003 +98 days 🔍
06/22/2014 +4023 days 🔍
10/20/2025 +4138 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Advisory: marc.theaimsgroup.com
Researcher: Michal Zalewski (FIRST)
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-1999-1109 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-1999-1109
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-15083
X-Force: 7760
SecurityFocus: 904 - Sendmail ETRN Denial of Service Vulnerability
Vulnerability Center: 1210 - Dos In Sendmail < 8.10.0, High

scip Labs: https://www.scip.ch/en/?labs.20161013

Entryinfo

Created: 06/22/2014 16:16
Updated: 10/20/2025 07:41
Changes: 06/22/2014 16:16 (70), 07/03/2017 10:38 (6), 06/23/2021 11:45 (3), 09/08/2024 10:37 (23), 10/20/2025 07:41 (4)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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