CVE-2001-0565 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in mailx in Solaris 8 and earlier allows a local attacker to gain additional privileges via a long -F command line option.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0565 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the mailx utility distributed with Solaris 8 and earlier versions. This issue stems from inadequate input validation when processing command line arguments, specifically the -F option which is used to specify a folder name for mail operations. The flaw exists in the way the mailx application handles user-supplied input without proper bounds checking, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. When a local user provides an excessively long argument to the -F command line option, the mailx application fails to validate the input length before copying it into a fixed-size buffer allocated on the stack. This overflow can overwrite the return address of the calling function and potentially corrupt other critical stack data, enabling an attacker to redirect program execution flow and execute malicious code with the privileges of the mailx process.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to systems running Solaris 8 or earlier versions as it requires only local access to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where privilege escalation can lead to complete system compromise. The attack vector is straightforward since the vulnerability exists within a commonly used mail utility that may be executed with elevated privileges, such as when running as setuid root. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to gain root access to the system, potentially leading to data theft, system modification, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The impact extends beyond immediate privilege escalation as it could enable attackers to access sensitive system files, modify system configurations, or compromise the integrity of the entire operating system.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches released by Sun Microsystems for Solaris 8 and earlier versions to address this vulnerability. System administrators should also implement additional security controls including disabling unnecessary setuid binaries, monitoring for unusual mailx process execution patterns, and conducting regular security audits of system binaries. The mitigation strategy should also include network segmentation to limit local access to critical systems and implementing proper access controls to prevent unauthorized users from executing potentially malicious code. This vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and proper bounds checking in system utilities, particularly those with elevated privileges, and serves as a reminder of the critical need for regular security updates and vulnerability management processes. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically leveraging weaknesses in system utilities to gain elevated privileges, making it a key target for both defensive and offensive security operations.