CVE-1999-1384 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting the Indigo Magic System Tour component within the SGI system tour package (systour) on IRIX operating systems versions 5.x through 6.3. The vulnerability arises because the RemoveSystemTour program executes the 'inst' command, which in turn calls a program named '.exitops'. If a local attacker replaces or plants a Trojan horse version of this '.exitops' program, they can execute arbitrary code with root privileges. This occurs due to insufficient validation or secure handling of the executable called by the inst command, allowing a malicious user to escalate from a local user to root. The vulnerability has a CVSS v2 score of 7.2 (high severity), with attack vector local, low attack complexity, no authentication required, and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. A patch is available from SGI, distributed via FTP links, which addresses this issue by correcting the handling of the .exitops program to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, likely due to the age and niche nature of the IRIX platform. However, the vulnerability remains critical for any legacy systems still running these IRIX versions, as it allows complete system compromise by any local user.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability is primarily relevant to those still operating legacy SGI IRIX systems, which are rare in modern environments but may exist in specialized industrial, research, or archival contexts. Successful exploitation would grant an attacker full root access, enabling them to compromise system confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This could lead to unauthorized data access, system manipulation, or denial of service. Given the local attack vector, the threat is limited to insiders or attackers with local access, such as disgruntled employees or those who have gained physical or remote shell access. While the niche platform limits broad impact, critical infrastructure or research facilities relying on IRIX could face severe operational disruptions or data breaches if exploited. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the availability of a patch means organizations should remediate to prevent potential future attacks, especially in environments where legacy systems interface with modern networks.

Organizations should immediately verify if any IRIX 5.x through 6.3 systems are in use and assess their exposure. If such systems exist, apply the official SGI patches available at the provided FTP links to remediate the vulnerability. Additionally, restrict local user access to these systems to trusted personnel only and implement strict access controls and monitoring to detect any unauthorized attempts to replace or execute the .exitops program. Employ file integrity monitoring on critical system binaries to alert on unauthorized changes. Where possible, consider isolating legacy IRIX systems from broader network access or migrating critical workloads to supported platforms. Regularly audit user accounts and permissions to minimize the risk of local privilege escalation. Since the vulnerability requires local access, strengthening physical security and remote access controls (e.g., disabling unused accounts, enforcing strong authentication) will further reduce risk.