CVE-2002-0040 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in SGI IRIX 6.5.11 through 6.5.15f allows local users to cause privileged applications to dump core via the HOSTALIASES environment variable, which might allow the users to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0040 represents a significant local privilege escalation issue affecting SGI IRIX operating systems version 6.5.11 through 6.5.15f. This flaw exists within the system's handling of the HOSTALIASES environment variable, which is typically used to specify alternative host name resolution methods. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the privileged applications that process this environment variable, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by local attackers to gain elevated system privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of the HOSTALIASES environment variable to trigger a core dump in privileged applications. When these applications execute with elevated privileges and encounter malformed input through the HOSTALIASES variable, they become susceptible to crashing or dumping core in ways that can be exploited. This behavior creates a potential privilege escalation vector because the core dump process may retain elevated privileges, allowing the local user to potentially extract information or manipulate the system state to gain administrative access. The flaw aligns with CWE-122, which addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions, though this specific case operates through environment variable manipulation rather than direct buffer overflows.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple local privilege escalation, as it represents a fundamental weakness in the system's privilege management and environment variable handling mechanisms. Local users who can manipulate the HOSTALIASES environment variable can potentially cause privileged applications to behave in unexpected ways, leading to information disclosure or system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges to exploit and can be triggered through standard environment variable manipulation techniques. This type of attack vector falls under ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' through the exploitation of environment variables and system configuration weaknesses.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on proper environment variable validation and sanitization within privileged applications. System administrators should ensure that the HOSTALIASES environment variable is properly validated before being processed by any privileged application, and that all applications handling this variable implement robust input validation. The recommended approach includes disabling or restricting the use of HOSTALIASES in privileged contexts, implementing proper privilege separation, and ensuring that applications do not execute with unnecessary elevated privileges. Additionally, regular system updates and patches should be applied to address this known vulnerability, as the affected IRIX versions are no longer supported by SGI, making this remediation critical for system security. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper environment variable handling in privileged contexts and the potential for seemingly benign configuration options to become security risks when not properly validated.