CVE-1999-1538
— NVD-CWE-Other
EPSS 56.6%
- Published: 1999-01-14T05:00:00.000
- Last modified: 2025-04-03T01:03:51.193
- CWE: NVD-CWE-Other
When IIS 2 or 3 is upgraded to IIS 4, ism.dll is inadvertently left in /scripts/iisadmin, which does not restrict access to the local machine and allows an unauthorized user to gain access to sensitive server information, including the Administrator’s password.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
Top CVE for Vendor
No vendor taxonomy on this entry.
Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities
No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
How to fix CVE-1999-1538
CVE-1999-1538 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.
Description: When IIS 2 or 3 is upgraded to IIS 4, ism.dll is inadvertently left in /scripts/iisadmin, which does not restrict access to the local machine and allows an unauthorized user to gain access to sensitive server information, including the Administrator’s password. Related CVE by CWENo related CWE found.Top CVE for VendorNo vendor taxonomy on this […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- 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: When IIS 2 or 3 is upgraded to IIS 4, ism.dll is inadvertently left in /scripts/iisadmin, which does not restrict access to the local machine and allows an unauthorized user to gain access to sensitive server information, including the Administrator’s password. Related CVE by CWENo related CWE found.Top CVE for VendorNo vendor taxonomy on this […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
1 Identify affected systems
- Check if you're running the affected product
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: NVD-CWE-Other
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
HARD
Time to Exploit: > 4 hours
Skills Required: Advanced security expertise
Public Exploits: Rare or not public
Vulnerability Timeline
Jan 14, 1999
Vulnerability Published
CVE details first published to NVD database
Apr 03, 2025
Last Modified
CVE details were updated
Oct 31, 2025
Imported to Database
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.
No vendor/product data available.
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=91638375309890&w=2 []
- http://marc.info/?l=ntbugtraq&m=91632724913080&w=2 []
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/189 [Exploit]
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=91638375309890&w=2 []
- http://marc.info/?l=ntbugtraq&m=91632724913080&w=2 []
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/189 [Exploit]
No explicit mitigation/advisory links found in references.