CVE-1999-1562 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the gFTP FTP client version 1.13 and other versions prior to 2.0.0. The vulnerability arises because the client records user passwords in plaintext either within the application's log window or in external log files. This insecure handling of sensitive authentication credentials can lead to unauthorized disclosure if an attacker gains access to the logs or the system where the logs are stored. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.6, indicating a moderate risk. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning an attacker must have local access to the system to exploit it. The attack complexity is low (AC:L), and no authentication is required (Au:N) to observe the password once it is logged. The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a partial degree (C:P/I:P/A:P), as exposure of credentials can lead to unauthorized access or manipulation of FTP sessions. There is no patch available for this vulnerability, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. Given the age of the vulnerability (published in 1999) and the fact that gFTP is an open-source FTP client primarily used on Unix-like systems, the threat is mostly relevant in environments where legacy software is still in use.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on whether gFTP versions prior to 2.0.0 are still in use. If legacy systems or specialized environments continue to rely on these versions, the plaintext password logging could lead to credential theft by insiders or attackers who have gained local access. This could result in unauthorized access to FTP servers, potentially exposing sensitive data transfers or enabling further lateral movement within the network. The risk is heightened in sectors with strict data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government, where FTP is used for file transfers. However, the local access requirement limits remote exploitation, reducing the overall risk surface. Organizations using modern FTP clients or updated versions of gFTP are not affected. The absence of a patch means organizations must rely on mitigation strategies rather than fixes.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately discontinue use of gFTP versions prior to 2.0.0 and upgrade to the latest secure versions or alternative FTP clients that do not log passwords in plaintext. 2) Audit existing systems to identify any instances of vulnerable gFTP clients and remove or isolate them. 3) Restrict local access to systems running FTP clients to trusted personnel only, employing strict access controls and monitoring. 4) Implement encryption for FTP sessions (e.g., use FTPS or SFTP instead of plain FTP) to reduce reliance on client-side password handling. 5) Regularly review and securely manage log files to ensure sensitive information is not stored in plaintext and logs are protected with appropriate permissions. 6) Educate users about the risks of using outdated FTP clients and enforce policies to prevent their use. 7) Consider network segmentation to limit the impact of any compromised credentials. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on legacy software identification, access control, and secure logging practices.