Is CVE-1999-0526 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-0526 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-1999-0526?

Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 10, published 1 July 1997.

Is there a fix for CVE-1999-0526?

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-1999-0526 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.

Am I affected by CVE-1999-0526?

Check whether you run X.Org X11 or X.Org Foundation X Window System (X11) Server. 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-1999-0526: X.Org X Server access control bypass via insecure xhost configuration

CVE-1999-0526 · Severity: critical · CVSS 10 · Published 1997-07-01

The X Window System server, which manages graphical displays on Unix-like systems, can be configured to disable all access controls. When this occurs, any user on the network can connect to the display, allowing them to monitor everything the user types and see what is on their screen. This can lead to the theft of passwords, sensitive data, and full takeover of the user's account.

Technologies: X.Org Foundation X Window System (X11) Server. Vendors: X.Org, X.Org Foundation.

Quick answers

Is CVE-1999-0526 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-0526 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-1999-0526?: Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 10, published 1 July 1997.
Which products and versions are affected?: X.Org Foundation X Window System (X11) Server.
Is there a fix for CVE-1999-0526?: 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-1999-0526 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.
Am I affected by CVE-1999-0526?: Check whether you run X.Org X11 or X.Org Foundation X Window System (X11) Server. 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 X server's host-based access control mechanism can be completely disabled, typically through the 'xhost +' command or insecure default configurations in X server emulators. This vulnerability allows any remote attacker with network reachability to the X server (usually TCP port 6000) to connect without authentication. Once connected, an attacker can use X11 protocol features to sniff keystrokes (keylogging), capture screen contents, and inject input events into active windows. This effectively grants the attacker the same privileges as the user running the X session. Mitigation involves using the Xauthority (MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE) mechanism or tunneling X11 over SSH.

Affected products

X.Org Foundation X Window System (X11) Server

Timeline

1997-07-01: disclosed: Initial NVD publication date
2003-07-18: advisory: CERT/CC vulnerability note published

References

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/704969

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