CVE-2000-1180 in Oracle
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in cmctl program in Oracle 8.1.5 Connection Manager Control allows local users to gain privileges via a long command line argument.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-1180 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the cmctl program component of Oracle 8.1.5 Connection Manager Control. This issue resides in the command line argument processing mechanism where the program fails to properly validate input length before copying user-supplied data into fixed-size buffers. The vulnerability specifically affects local users who can exploit this weakness by providing an excessively long command line argument to trigger the buffer overflow condition. The cmctl program serves as a control interface for Oracle Connection Manager, which acts as a proxy between client applications and database servers, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for database security infrastructure.
From a technical perspective, this buffer overflow occurs due to inadequate bounds checking in the command line argument parsing logic. When the cmctl program processes user input through command line arguments, it employs stack-based buffer operations without sufficient validation of input size relative to buffer capacity. The flaw manifests when a local attacker crafts a malicious command line argument exceeding the predetermined buffer limits, causing data to overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses and control information. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite memory regions beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The vulnerability specifically aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes local privilege escalation through exploitation of software vulnerabilities in system processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it provides local attackers with elevated system privileges that could enable further exploitation attempts. Once successfully exploited, the buffer overflow allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the cmctl process, potentially enabling access to database connection information, network communications, and underlying system resources. The Connection Manager control interface typically operates with elevated privileges due to its role in managing database connections, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for database administrators who rely on this component for managing network access to their Oracle databases. Attackers could leverage this privilege escalation to gain unauthorized access to sensitive database information, modify connection parameters, or establish persistent access to the database infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2000-1180 should focus on immediate patching of Oracle 8.1.5 installations with the appropriate security updates from Oracle Corporation. Organizations should also implement strict input validation measures to prevent long command line arguments from reaching the cmctl program, including implementing command line argument length restrictions and sanitization routines. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to limit local user access to critical system components, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual command line argument patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, system administrators should consider disabling unnecessary features of the Connection Manager control interface and implement regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in legacy Oracle installations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and bounds checking in system components, particularly those handling user-supplied data in privileged contexts.