Is CVE-1999-1090 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-1090 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-1999-1090?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 10 September 1991.

Which products and versions are affected?

NCSA Telnet for Macintosh; NCSA Telnet for PC.

Is there a fix for CVE-1999-1090?

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-1999-1090 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

Am I affected by CVE-1999-1090?

Check whether you run Ncsa Telnet, Ncsa Telnet for Macintosh or Ncsa Telnet for PC. 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-1999-1090: NCSA Telnet insecure default configuration enables FTP server

CVE-1999-1090 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 1991-09-10

A vulnerability in the default configuration of NCSA Telnet for Macintosh and PC allows unauthorized remote access to files. By default, the software enables an FTP server even when not explicitly configured to do so, which could allow an attacker to read or modify sensitive files on the host system. This poses a significant risk to data confidentiality and integrity for users of this legacy networking tool.

Vendors: Ncsa.

Quick answers

Is CVE-1999-1090 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-1999-1090 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-1999-1090?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 10 September 1991.
Which products and versions are affected?: NCSA Telnet for Macintosh; NCSA Telnet for PC.
Is there a fix for CVE-1999-1090?: 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-1999-1090 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.
Am I affected by CVE-1999-1090?: Check whether you run Ncsa Telnet, Ncsa Telnet for Macintosh or Ncsa Telnet for PC. 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 configuration vulnerability exists in NCSA Telnet for Macintosh and PC where the FTP server component is enabled by default. Even in the absence of an explicit 'ftp=yes' directive in the configuration file, the software listens for FTP connections. A remote attacker can exploit this behavior to connect to the host and perform unauthorized file operations, including reading and modifying arbitrary files. This issue stems from insecure default settings rather than a code-level overflow or logic error. Users are advised to explicitly disable the service or update to a version where this default behavior is corrected.

Affected products

NCSA Telnet for Macintosh
NCSA Telnet for PC

Timeline

1991-09-10: disclosed
1991-09-10: advisory: NVD publication date

References

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