CVE-2001-0219 in HP-UX
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in Support Tools Manager (xstm,cstm,stm) in HP-UX 11.11 and earlier allows local users to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0219 resides within the Support Tools Manager components including xstm cstm and stm on HP-UX operating systems version 11.11 and earlier. This issue represents a significant security concern as it affects the fundamental system management tools that administrators rely upon for maintaining and monitoring their unix environments. The vulnerability specifically targets the local user attack surface, meaning that an attacker must already have access to the system to exploit this weakness, though the implications remain severe for system integrity and availability.
The technical flaw manifests through improper handling of certain input parameters within the Support Tools Manager applications. When local users execute maliciously crafted commands or provide malformed input to these tools, the applications fail to properly validate or process the data, leading to unexpected program termination or system resource exhaustion. This behavior results in a denial of service condition where legitimate system management operations become unavailable, potentially disrupting critical system maintenance activities and administrative functions. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation as described in CWE-20, where applications fail to properly validate input data before processing.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for system administrators who depend on the Support Tools Manager for routine maintenance and troubleshooting activities. When exploited, the denial of service condition can render essential system management tools unusable, forcing administrators to either restart the affected services manually or potentially reboot the entire system. This disruption can occur during critical maintenance windows or emergency response situations, significantly impacting system availability and operational continuity. The vulnerability's local nature means that it cannot be exploited remotely, but it does represent a serious insider threat or a compromise scenario where an attacker has already gained local access to the system.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is primarily limited to local users with existing system access, making it less immediately dangerous than remote exploits but still highly problematic from a security standpoint. An attacker with local privileges could leverage this vulnerability to disrupt system operations, potentially masking other malicious activities or creating conditions that make system compromise easier. The vulnerability's presence in core system management tools means that it could be exploited as part of a broader attack strategy to degrade system defenses or create confusion during incident response. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in the context of the broader attack chain, as it aligns with techniques described in the attack tactics and techniques framework where adversaries attempt to establish persistence and maintain access while avoiding detection.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2001-0219 should include immediate patching of affected HP-UX systems to the latest available security updates from Hewlett-Packard. System administrators should also implement strict access controls and monitoring for the affected Support Tools Manager applications, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to these tools. Regular security audits should verify that no unauthorized modifications have been made to the system management tools, and network segmentation should be employed to limit potential attack vectors. Additionally, organizations should maintain comprehensive system monitoring that can detect unusual patterns of tool usage or system resource consumption that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a denial of service issue also necessitates robust backup and recovery procedures to ensure that system administrators can quickly restore functionality if the tools become unavailable during an attack.