CVE-1999-1386
Perl Perl — CWE-59
CVSS 5.5 MediumEPSS 0.2%
- CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- Published: 1999-12-31T05:00:00.000
- Last modified: 2025-04-03T01:03:51.193
- Vendors: Perl
- Products: Perl
- CWE: CWE-59
Perl 5.004_04 and earlier follows symbolic links when running with the -e option, which allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/perl-eaXXXXX file.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
Top CVE for Vendor
- CVE-1999-1386 (CVSS 5.5)
Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities
No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
How to fix CVE-1999-1386
CVE-1999-1386 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting Perl Perl.
Description: Perl 5.004_04 and earlier follows symbolic links when running with the -e option, which allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/perl-eaXXXXX file. Related CVE by CWENo related CWE found.Top CVE for VendorCVE-1999-1386 (CVSS 5.5)Recently Exploited Similar VulnerabilitiesNo recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
Exploit Difficulty: MEDIUM
⏱️ Time to exploit: 1-4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Intermediate security knowledge
💰 Public exploits: May be available
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running Perl
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Description: Perl 5.004_04 and earlier follows symbolic links when running with the -e option, which allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/perl-eaXXXXX file. Related CVE by CWENo related CWE found.Top CVE for VendorCVE-1999-1386 (CVSS 5.5)Recently Exploited Similar VulnerabilitiesNo recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
Exploit Difficulty: MEDIUM
⏱️ Time to exploit: 1-4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Intermediate security knowledge
💰 Public exploits: May be available
How to Fix:
1 Identify affected systems
- Check if you're running Perl
2 Immediate actions
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
3 Verification
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
4 Long-term prevention
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
CWE: CWE-59
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
MEDIUM
Time to Exploit: 1-4 hours
Skills Required: Intermediate security knowledge
Public Exploits: May be available
Vulnerability Timeline
Dec 31, 1999
Vulnerability Published
CVE details first published to NVD database
Apr 03, 2025
Last Modified
CVE details were updated
Nov 03, 2025
Imported to Database
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=88932165406213&w=2 [Exploit, Mailing List]
- http://www.iss.net/security_center/static/7243.php [Broken Link]
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/rh50-errata-general.html#perl [Broken Link]
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=88932165406213&w=2 [Exploit, Mailing List]
- http://www.iss.net/security_center/static/7243.php [Broken Link]
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/rh50-errata-general.html#perl [Broken Link]
No explicit mitigation/advisory links found in references.