CVE-2000-0207 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the SGI InfoSearch CGI program, specifically the infosrch.cgi script. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system by injecting shell metacharacters into input parameters processed by the CGI script. The flaw arises because the infosrch.cgi program fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to a shell command, enabling command injection. The affected versions include a range of SGI InfoSearch releases from 1.0 through various 6.5.x versions up to 6.5.7. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous. The CVSS v2 score is 7.5, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no authentication required. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the web server process, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or service disruption. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the availability of patches from SGI indicates that remediation is possible and strongly recommended. The vulnerability dates back to 2000, indicating that it affects legacy systems that may still be in operation in some environments.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those still operating legacy SGI InfoSearch systems. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized command execution, resulting in data breaches, defacement of web services, or disruption of critical business operations. Confidentiality is at risk as attackers could access sensitive information stored or processed by the affected systems. Integrity could be compromised through unauthorized modification or deletion of data. Availability may be impacted if attackers disrupt services or use the system as a foothold for further attacks such as launching denial-of-service attacks or spreading malware. Organizations in sectors relying on legacy SGI systems, such as research institutions, universities, or specialized industrial environments, may face increased risk. Additionally, the lack of authentication and ease of exploitation means that attackers can launch attacks remotely without prior access, increasing the threat surface. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited active targeting, but the vulnerability remains a critical risk if legacy systems are exposed to the internet or insufficiently segmented networks.

1. Immediate application of the official patches provided by SGI is the most effective mitigation. The patches are available via SGI's FTP security advisories and should be applied to all affected versions without delay. 2. If patching is not immediately feasible, organizations should restrict network access to the infosrch.cgi script by implementing firewall rules or network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted internal users only. 3. Disable or remove the infosrch.cgi CGI program if it is not actively used, to eliminate the attack surface. 4. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious input containing shell metacharacters targeting the CGI script. 5. Conduct thorough audits of legacy systems to identify any instances of SGI InfoSearch and assess their exposure. 6. Monitor logs for unusual command execution patterns or unexpected web requests to the infosrch.cgi endpoint. 7. Consider migrating away from legacy SGI InfoSearch systems to modern, supported search solutions to reduce long-term risk. 8. Implement strict input validation and sanitization controls on all CGI scripts and web applications to prevent similar injection vulnerabilities.