Is CVE-1999-0521 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-0521 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-1999-0521?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.2, published 1 January 1997.

Which products and versions are affected?

Sun Microsystems Network Information Service (NIS).

Is there a fix for CVE-1999-0521?

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-1999-0521 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.

Am I affected by CVE-1999-0521?

Check whether you run Sun Microsystems Network Information Service (NIS). 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.

CVE-1999-0521: Sun Microsystems NIS guessable domain name

CVE-1999-0521 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.2 · Published 1997-01-01

The Network Information Service (NIS), a system used to manage and share configuration data across a network, uses domain names that are easily guessed. If an attacker identifies the domain name, they can gain unauthorized access to sensitive system information, including password files and administrative data. This could lead to a complete compromise of the affected systems and the data they manage.

Vendors: Sun Microsystems.

Quick answers

Is CVE-1999-0521 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-0521 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-1999-0521?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.2, published 1 January 1997.
Which products and versions are affected?: Sun Microsystems Network Information Service (NIS).
Is there a fix for CVE-1999-0521?: 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-1999-0521 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.
Am I affected by CVE-1999-0521?: Check whether you run Sun Microsystems Network Information Service (NIS). 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 vulnerability stems from the use of weak or predictable NIS domain names (often matching the DNS domain or hostnames). NIS relies on the domain name as a primary authentication token; if an attacker knows or guesses the domain name, they can use NIS client tools to request sensitive maps such as 'passwd.byname' or 'hosts' from the NIS server. This is a local attack vector in the sense that the attacker typically needs to be on a network that can reach the NIS server, but it results in a complete loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Mitigation involves using non-obvious domain names and implementing secure RPC or transitioning to more secure directory services like LDAP.

Affected products

Sun Microsystems Network Information Service (NIS)

Timeline

1992-12-31: advisory: CERT advisory CA-1992-13 published
1997-01-01: disclosed: NVD publication date

References

http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-1992-13.html

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