CVE-1999-1410 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability found in the addnetpr utility of Silicon Graphics IRIX operating system versions 5.0 through 6.2. The vulnerability arises from the way addnetpr handles temporary files related to printer configuration. Specifically, the utility creates or uses a temporary file without proper validation, allowing a local attacker to perform a symbolic link (symlink) attack. By creating a symlink pointing to an arbitrary file, the attacker can cause addnetpr to overwrite that file with data intended for the temporary printer file. This can lead to arbitrary file overwrite, which, if targeted at critical system files or configuration files, may allow the attacker to escalate privileges to root. The vulnerability requires local access and a relatively high attack complexity due to the need to exploit the symlink race condition. No authentication is required beyond local user access. The CVSS score of 6.2 (medium severity) reflects the potential for complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise, but limited by the requirement for local access and the complexity of exploitation. Patches addressing this vulnerability are available from SGI, as referenced in the advisories dated December 1996. There are no known exploits in the wild documented. Given the age of the affected IRIX versions and the niche use of this operating system, the threat is primarily relevant to legacy systems still running these versions.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the presence of legacy SGI IRIX systems within their infrastructure. While IRIX is a specialized UNIX variant primarily used in high-performance computing, graphics, and scientific environments, some European research institutions, universities, or industrial entities may still operate legacy systems. Exploitation could allow a local attacker to gain root privileges, leading to full system compromise, unauthorized data access, and potential disruption of critical services. This could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data and systems. However, the requirement for local access limits remote exploitation risks. The vulnerability could be leveraged by insiders or attackers who have already gained limited access, escalating their privileges to cause greater damage. Given the niche nature of IRIX, the overall impact on the broader European enterprise sector is low, but high for specific organizations relying on these legacy systems.

Organizations should first identify any IRIX systems running versions 5.0 through 6.2. For affected systems, immediate application of the official patches provided by SGI is recommended to remediate the vulnerability. If patching is not feasible due to system constraints, mitigating controls include restricting local user access to trusted personnel only, implementing strict access controls and monitoring on IRIX systems, and disabling or restricting use of the addnetpr utility where possible. Additionally, auditing file system permissions and monitoring for suspicious symlink creation or file modification activities can help detect exploitation attempts. For organizations still relying on IRIX, planning migration to supported and secure platforms is advisable to reduce exposure to legacy vulnerabilities. Network segmentation and limiting physical and remote access to these systems further reduce risk.