Security readout for executives and security teams
A very old flaw in CrackLib 2.5, a password-strength library used on Unix systems, could let a user already logged into a machine become the top-level "root" administrator. It works by supplying an oversized personal-info (GECOS) field that overwhelms the program's memory. The issue dates to 1997 and applies only to that specific legacy version. Exposure is minimal in modern environments. CrackLib 2.5 is a 1990s-era release, superseded by many versions. Only systems still running unpatched late-1990s Unix distributions with the original CrackLib 2.5 and a privileged password utility would be affected. Requires local authenticated access, not remote reachability. Very low. This is a 1997-vintage local privilege escalation in a specific legacy library version. Treat as informational unless the estate still runs unsupported late-1990s Unix systems; in that case, the underlying platform lifecycle is the real business risk, not this CVE alone. Mitigation focus: Confirm CrackLib version in use and upgrade to a current, vendor-supported release.; Retire or upgrade any Unix systems still running late-1990s CrackLib 2.5 builds.; Restrict local shell access on legacy hosts to trusted administrators only..
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
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CVE-1999-1140 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
- cracklib-bo(1539)CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF
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.