# CVE-1999-0182: Samba buffer overflow in password handling

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-1999-0182-samba-buffer-overflow-in-password-handling  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 1997-09-30. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-1999-0182 · Severity: critical · CVSS 10 · Published 1997-09-30

Samba, a widely used service for sharing files and printers between different types of computers, contains a critical security flaw. An attacker can exploit this by sending an excessively long password during the login process to take complete control of the server. This could lead to the theft of sensitive data, total service disruption, or the use of the server to launch further attacks on the internal network.

Technologies: [Samba](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/samba). Vendors: [Samba](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/samba).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-1999-0182 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-0182 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-1999-0182?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 10, published 30 September 1997.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Samba Samba.

**Is there a fix for CVE-1999-0182?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-1999-0182 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-1999-0182?** Check whether you run Samba. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A stack-based buffer overflow exists in Samba's password handling logic. The vulnerability is triggered when the service receives an authentication request containing an abnormally long password string that exceeds the allocated buffer size. Because Samba often runs with high privileges (root) to manage file access, a successful exploit allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with root-level permissions. This is a classic boundary condition error reachable over the network via the SMB protocol. Users should update to a patched version of Samba or apply vendor-provided fixes from their respective OS distributions.

## Affected products

- Samba Samba

## Timeline

- 1997-09-30: disclosed

## References

- [http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/h-110.shtml](http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/h-110.shtml)

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