CVE-2001-0095 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
catman in Solaris 2.7 and 2.8 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the sman_PID temporary file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0095 resides within the catman utility of Solaris operating systems version 2.7 and 2.8, representing a classic race condition flaw that enables local privilege escalation through symbolic link manipulation. This issue stems from the improper handling of temporary files during the execution of the catman command, which is responsible for generating and maintaining the manual page database. The flaw specifically manifests when the catman utility creates a temporary file named sman_PID where PID represents the process identifier, and this temporary file is subsequently used to store man page information before being moved to its final location.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves a time-of-check to time-of-use race condition where a local attacker can create a symbolic link with the name sman_PID in the temporary directory before the catman utility creates its actual temporary file. When the catman utility executes, it first checks for the existence of the temporary file and then proceeds to write to it, but if an attacker has already created a symbolic link pointing to a target file of their choice, the utility will write content to the target file instead of the intended temporary location. This allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary files on the system with content controlled by the attacker, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file overwriting, as it can be leveraged to modify critical system files, configuration data, or even executable components that may be loaded by the system. Attackers can use this technique to place malicious content in system directories, modify authentication files, or corrupt essential system binaries. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where local users might not have direct access to system-critical files but can exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges or disrupt system operations. This flaw aligns with CWE-367, which describes the Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use race condition, and represents a common attack vector that has been documented in various Unix-like systems where temporary file handling is not properly secured against symlink attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Solaris systems through official security updates provided by Sun Microsystems. System administrators should also implement proper temporary file handling practices by ensuring that temporary files are created with appropriate permissions and are not accessible to unauthorized users. The recommended approach involves using secure temporary file creation methods such as mkstemp() functions that guarantee atomic creation of temporary files, preventing attackers from creating symbolic links that could be exploited. Additionally, system hardening measures should include restricting write access to temporary directories and implementing proper file permission controls to minimize the impact of such vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect suspicious file modification patterns and symbolic link creation activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution and T1070 for file and directory permissions modification. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper race condition handling in system utilities and the critical need for secure coding practices in operating system components that handle temporary file operations.