CVE-2000-0245 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in SGI IRIX objectserver daemon allows remote attackers to create user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0245 resides within the SGI IRIX objectserver daemon, a critical component of Silicon Graphics' IRIX operating system that manages distributed object services. This daemon operates as a network service listening on specific ports to handle object-oriented requests from remote clients. The flaw represents a significant security weakness that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit the service and create arbitrary user accounts on the affected system. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and privilege escalation mechanisms within the daemon's authentication and account management processes, enabling malicious actors to bypass normal access controls and gain unauthorized system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the objectserver daemon failing to properly validate user credentials and account creation requests received over the network. When remote clients send specially crafted requests to the daemon, the system processes these requests without adequate verification of the sender's identity or authorization level. This allows attackers to submit account creation commands that are executed with elevated privileges, effectively granting them the ability to establish new user accounts with arbitrary usernames and passwords. The flaw typically manifests when the daemon accepts requests without proper authentication checks, particularly during the account provisioning phase of its object management operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk for systems running SGI IRIX operating systems, as it provides attackers with a persistent backdoor mechanism for unauthorized access. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can establish legitimate user accounts that persist beyond the initial attack, allowing for continued system access and potential privilege escalation. The vulnerability also enables attackers to gain access to system resources, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or further exploitation of other system vulnerabilities. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from any location with network access to the affected service, making it particularly dangerous for systems exposed to the internet or untrusted networks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-264, which addresses permissions, privileges, and access controls, specifically focusing on inadequate privilege management in network services. Additionally, this weakness maps to ATT&CK technique T1133, which covers External Remote Services, and T1078, which covers Valid Accounts, as the attack leverages legitimate account creation mechanisms to establish unauthorized access. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate affected systems, disabling unnecessary network services, and applying vendor-provided patches or hotfixes. System administrators should also monitor for unauthorized account creation attempts and implement proper network access controls to prevent unauthorized access to the objectserver daemon ports. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and privilege separation in network services, as inadequate security controls in core system components can lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized account creation capabilities.