CVE-1999-1293

Vulnerability

The vulnerability resides in the mod_proxy module of Apache HTTP Server versions 1.2.5 and earlier. When the proxy module receives a malformed FTP command from a remote attacker, it triggers a segmentation fault, causing Apache to dump core and resulting in a denial of service. The issue was addressed in Apache 1.2.5, which is the fixed version according to the advisory [1].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted FTP command to the Apache server's proxy functionality. No authentication is required; the attacker only needs network access to the server. The malformed command causes the proxy module to mishandle the input, leading to a crash.

Impact

Successful exploitation results in a denial of service (DoS) as the Apache process crashes and dumps core. This disrupts web services until the server is restarted. The impact is limited to availability; no data compromise or privilege escalation is indicated.

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in Apache version 1.2.5, released on January 6, 1998 [1]. Users running earlier versions should upgrade to 1.2.5 or later. No workarounds are documented in the available references. Since Apache 1.2.x is long end-of-life, upgrading to a modern supported version is strongly recommended.