CVE-1999-1496: Low severity Todd Miller Sudo vulnerability
Sudo 1.5 in Debian Linux 2.1 and Red Hat 6.0 allows local users to determine the existence of arbitrary files by attempting to execute the target filename as a program, which generates a different error message when the file does not exist.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Remove
Remove
sudo 1.5from your environment.If sudo functionality is not required on the affected hosts (Debian Linux 2.1 and Red Hat 6.0), uninstall the sudo package to eliminate the information-disclosure vector.
- Configuration
Edit /etc/sudoers and any included sudoers.d files to remove non-administrative users, avoid NOPASSWD and unrestricted (ALL) command allowances, and restrict which commands users may run so unprivileged local accounts cannot use sudo to probe arbitrary filenames.
sudo 1.5 sudoers privileges = limit to trusted administrators; restrict allowed commands; remove broad NOPASSWD or ALL privileges - Compensating control
Limit or isolate untrusted local user accounts (e.g., restrict account creation, disable shell/console/SSH access for non-admin users, use host-based access controls) to reduce the risk that local users can exploit sudo to determine existence of arbitrary files.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-1999-1496?
CVE-1999-1496 is classified as a moderate severity vulnerability.
How do I fix CVE-1999-1496?
To fix CVE-1999-1496, update to a patched version of Sudo that addresses this file enumeration issue.
Who is affected by CVE-1999-1496?
CVE-1999-1496 affects local users of Sudo 1.5 on Debian Linux 2.1 and Red Hat Linux 6.0.
What is the impact of CVE-1999-1496?
The impact of CVE-1999-1496 allows local users to identify the existence of arbitrary files on the system.
Is CVE-1999-1496 still a concern today?
While CVE-1999-1496 is very old, it may still be a concern for legacy systems running affected software.