Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-1999-0038 is an old local privilege-escalation issue in xlock. A local user on an affected system could exploit a buffer overflow to run commands with root privileges. Business risk is highest where legacy Unix-like systems still run xlock for shared or interactive users.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for legacy environments with local users. It can turn local access into root control, but current evidence does not support internet-wide urgency or active exploitation claims.
Technical view
The source describes a CWE-120 buffer overflow in the xlock program that allows local users to execute commands as root. CVSS 3.1 is 8.4 with local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is limited to systems where the vulnerable xlock program remains installed and usable by local users. The bundle does not identify affected vendors, versions, packages, or CPEs, so exposure must be confirmed through asset and package inventory.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and KEV is false. This is not described as remotely exploitable. The key risk is local access becoming root control on affected legacy systems.
Researcher notes
Source detail is sparse: no affected vendor, version range, patch, or exploit status is provided. Focus investigation on historical xlock packaging, setuid behavior, and vendor advisories before asserting exposure or remediation completeness.
Mitigation direction
- Check operating system or vendor guidance for affected xlock packages and supported fixes.
- Inventory systems for xlock installations, especially legacy shared Unix-like hosts.
- Prioritize remediation on systems with local shell access for multiple users.
- Remove or restrict xlock only where vendor or internal policy supports that action.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether xlock is installed on in-scope systems.
- Review vulnerability scanner results for CVE-1999-0038 matches.
- Identify hosts where local non-admin users can run xlock.
- Verify vendor package status and remediation guidance for each affected platform.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-120: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-1999-0038 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.55.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/CVE-1999-0038CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.