CVE-1999-1072 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Excite for Web Servers (EWS) version 1.1. This vulnerability allows local users to escalate their privileges by exploiting insecure handling of authentication credentials. Specifically, the Architext.conf file, which contains encrypted passwords, is world-readable, meaning any local user on the system can access it. By obtaining the encrypted password from this configuration file, an attacker can replay the encrypted password in an HTTP request directed at either AT-generated.cgi or AT-admin.cgi scripts. These scripts are part of the EWS application and handle authentication. Because the password is reused in the authentication process without additional verification or session controls, replaying the encrypted password grants the attacker elevated privileges, potentially full administrative access to the web server environment. The vulnerability requires local access to the system, but no further authentication or user interaction is necessary to exploit it once local access is obtained. The CVSS v2 score of 7.2 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no authentication required beyond local access. No patches are available for this vulnerability, and there are no known exploits in the wild, likely due to the age of the software and the requirement for local access. However, the vulnerability remains a critical risk in legacy environments still running Excite EWS 1.1.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant if legacy systems running Excite for Web Servers 1.1 are still in use, particularly in environments where local user access is not tightly controlled. Successful exploitation can lead to full compromise of the web server, allowing attackers to access sensitive data, modify web content, or disrupt services. This could result in data breaches affecting confidentiality, defacement or manipulation of websites impacting integrity, and denial of service or server instability affecting availability. Organizations in sectors with strict data protection regulations, such as finance, healthcare, or government, face increased legal and reputational risks if exploited. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged as a stepping stone for lateral movement within internal networks, amplifying the damage. Although modern systems are unlikely to be affected, legacy systems in European organizations that have not been updated or decommissioned remain at risk.

Given that no official patches are available, European organizations should prioritize the following mitigation strategies: 1) Immediate restriction of file permissions on the Architext.conf file to ensure it is not world-readable, limiting access strictly to necessary system accounts. 2) Audit and monitor local user accounts to prevent unauthorized local access, including enforcing strong access controls and removing unnecessary local accounts. 3) If possible, disable or remove the Excite for Web Servers 1.1 software entirely, replacing it with modern, supported web server solutions that follow current security best practices. 4) Implement network segmentation to isolate legacy systems from critical infrastructure and sensitive data stores. 5) Employ host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect unusual local access patterns or attempts to access sensitive configuration files. 6) Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scans to identify legacy software and misconfigurations. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control hardening, legacy system decommissioning, and active monitoring tailored to the specific vulnerability context.