CVE-1999-1348 is a vulnerability identified in Linuxconf on Red Hat Linux 6.0 and earlier versions. Linuxconf is a system configuration tool that interacts with PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) for managing access controls. The vulnerability arises because Linuxconf does not properly disable PAM-based access to the shutdown command. This improper configuration allows local users to invoke the shutdown command via PAM without appropriate restrictions, potentially causing a denial of service (DoS) by shutting down or rebooting the system unexpectedly. The vulnerability is local access only (AV:L), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and does not require authentication (Au:N). It impacts availability (A:P) but does not affect confidentiality or integrity. The CVSS score is low (2.1), reflecting limited impact and exploitation scope. Since this vulnerability dates back to 1999 and affects very old versions of Red Hat Linux (6.0 and earlier), it is largely obsolete in modern environments. No patches are available, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. However, if legacy systems are still in use, this vulnerability could be exploited by any local user with access to the system to cause service disruption by shutting down the machine unexpectedly.

For European organizations, the direct impact of this vulnerability today is minimal because Red Hat Linux 6.0 and earlier are extremely outdated and unlikely to be in active use in production environments. However, organizations that maintain legacy systems for critical infrastructure, industrial control, or archival purposes could be at risk of local denial of service attacks if these systems are accessible to untrusted local users. The impact would be service disruption, potentially affecting availability of critical systems. Given the low severity and local access requirement, remote exploitation is not feasible, limiting the threat to insider or physically proximate attackers. Organizations relying on legacy Red Hat Linux systems should be aware that this vulnerability could be leveraged to cause unexpected shutdowns, leading to downtime and potential operational disruptions.

Since no patches are available for this vulnerability, mitigation must focus on compensating controls. Organizations should restrict local access to legacy Red Hat Linux 6.0 and earlier systems to trusted personnel only. Implement strict physical security and user access controls to prevent unauthorized local logins. Consider disabling or restricting the use of Linuxconf if it is not essential, or replacing it with more secure configuration tools. Monitoring and alerting on shutdown commands can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should plan to upgrade legacy systems to supported versions of Linux distributions that have addressed this and other vulnerabilities. Where upgrade is not feasible, isolating legacy systems from critical networks and limiting user privileges can reduce risk.