CVE-1999-1430 is a vulnerability affecting version 1.0 of the Royal daVinci Personal Information Manager (PIM) software. The issue arises because the software does not properly password-protect the data stored in its Microsoft Access database file (.mdb). As a result, local users can bypass any intended access controls by directly opening the .mdb file with an alternative application such as Microsoft Access itself. This vulnerability allows unauthorized local users to read sensitive data without needing a password or any form of authentication. The vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, only confidentiality. Exploitation requires local access to the system and no user interaction beyond opening the file with a compatible database tool. The CVSS v2 score is 2.1 (low severity), reflecting the limited attack vector (local access) and low complexity of exploitation, but also the limited impact scope (confidentiality only). No patches or fixes are available, and there are no known exploits in the wild. Given the age of the vulnerability (published in 1999) and the specific product affected, this issue is primarily relevant in legacy environments where Royal daVinci 1.0 is still in use.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability is generally low due to the age and obscurity of the affected software. However, if any organizations still use Royal daVinci 1.0 for managing personal or sensitive information, the risk is that local users with access to the machine could extract confidential data without authorization. This could lead to privacy breaches or leakage of sensitive personal or business information. Since the vulnerability only allows reading data and does not permit modification or deletion, the risk to data integrity and system availability is minimal. The requirement for local access limits the threat to insider risks or scenarios where an attacker has already compromised the system to some extent. Nonetheless, organizations with strict data protection requirements under GDPR should consider this vulnerability as a potential compliance risk if legacy systems are in use.

Given that no patch is available, mitigation must focus on compensating controls. Organizations should: 1) Identify and inventory any systems running Royal daVinci 1.0 and assess whether they contain sensitive data. 2) Restrict physical and local access to these systems to trusted personnel only, employing strict access control policies. 3) Consider migrating data from Royal daVinci to modern, supported PIM solutions that enforce proper encryption and access controls. 4) Use full disk encryption or file system encryption to protect the .mdb files at rest, preventing unauthorized local access. 5) Implement host-based monitoring and auditing to detect unauthorized access attempts to the database files. 6) Educate users about the risks of local data exposure and enforce strong endpoint security policies. These steps will help reduce the risk of data exposure despite the lack of a direct patch.