# CVE-1999-0210: Sun Solaris automountd command injection via shell metacharacters

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-1999-0210-sun-solaris-automountd-command-injection-via-shell-metacharacters  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 1997-11-26. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-1999-0210 · Severity: critical · CVSS 10 · Published 1997-11-26

A vulnerability in the automountd service, which automatically manages network file systems, allows attackers to take full control of affected systems. By sending specially crafted commands, an attacker can execute arbitrary code with administrative privileges. This could lead to complete system takeover, data theft, or permanent disruption of operations.

Technologies: [Hp-Ux](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/hp-ux). Vendors: [Hp](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/hp).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-1999-0210 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-0210 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-1999-0210?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 10, published 26 November 1997.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Hp-Ux HPSBUX9910-104 affected versions.

**Is there a fix for CVE-1999-0210?** 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-1999-0210 attacked?** It is attacked over the network or with local access, in an operating system.

**Am I affected by CVE-1999-0210?** Check whether you run Hp-Ux at an affected version. 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

The automountd daemon is vulnerable to a command injection flaw because it improperly handles shell metacharacters passed in mount requests. Specifically, the daemon was found to use functions like popen() or improperly sanitized execve() calls when processing map keys. While automountd typically listens on TLI (Transport Layer Interface), it can be reached remotely by bouncing RPC packets through the rpc.statd service using SM_MON and SM_NOTIFY commands. An attacker can exploit this to execute arbitrary shell commands as the root user. Patches were released by Sun (e.g., patch 104654-05) and HP to address the issue.

## Affected products

- Sun Microsystems Solaris 2.4, 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.6, 2.7
- Sun Microsystems SunOS 5.4, 5.5, 5.5.1
- HP HP-UX HPSBUX9910-104 affected versions

## Timeline

- 1997-11-26: disclosed: Initial exploit for Solaris 2.5.1 posted to Bugtraq
- 1997-11-26: advisory: NVD publication date
- 1999-01-04: other: Detailed analysis of remote exploitation via rpc.statd published

## References

- [http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=88053459921223&w=2](http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=88053459921223&w=2)
- [http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=91547759121289&w=2](http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=91547759121289&w=2)
- [http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-99-05-statd-automountd.html](http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-99-05-statd-automountd.html)
- [http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/235](http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/235)
- [http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docId=HPSBUX9910-104](http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docId=HPSBUX9910-104)

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