Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is an old local privilege-escalation issue in SGI IRIX 6.4 patch levels 2291 and 2848. A user already on the system could create root-owned files and potentially gain root control. Business urgency depends on whether any legacy IRIX systems remain in use.
Executive priority
Treat as urgent only if legacy IRIX 6.4 systems remain operational. If present, the impact is severe because a local user may gain root. If absent, document non-applicability.
Technical view
CVE-1999-1039 covers diskalign and diskperf in IRIX 6.4 patches 2291 and 2848. The reported flaw allows a local user to create root-owned files, leading to root compromise. The source bundle provides no CVSS, CWE, vendor advisory, or remediation details.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to legacy SGI IRIX 6.4 systems with patches 2291 or 2848 installed. Internet exposure is not the key factor; attacker access to a local account is required.
Exploitation context
The CVE describes local privilege escalation, not remote exploitation. CISA KEV is false in the provided data, and no cited source reports active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Public source detail is sparse. The CVE record names affected utilities and patch levels but provides no advisory links, proof details, CVSS score, or official fix. Avoid assuming broader IRIX versions are affected.
Mitigation direction
- Identify any remaining IRIX 6.4 hosts and their installed patch levels.
- Review vendor or archive guidance for diskalign and diskperf remediation.
- Restrict local shell access on affected legacy systems.
- Prioritize retirement, isolation, or compensating controls for unsupported IRIX assets.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems for SGI IRIX 6.4.
- Check whether patches 2291 or 2848 are installed.
- Confirm presence and permissions of diskalign and diskperf.
- Review local account access and privileged file creation audit logs, if available.
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.
CVE-1999-1039 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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 and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
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.